Market News Why the Seattle Head Tax is not Progressive; it is Regressive & Bad Policy The major topic of conversation at many Seattle businesses – both large and small – is the Seattle City Council’s proposal for a head tax on large companies. The city proposal is to raise $75 million annually for homeless and housing services through taxing businesses whose revenues exceed $20 million annually.
More Helping Fight Hunger in Our Communities Many families do not have access to food assistance programs during the summer. And the national summer meal programs reach only a small percentage of children who need help when school is not in session--around 16 percent. That is why many of our Windermere offices choose to support local non-profits that provide weekend and summer meals to children and families in need.
More Premier Crews from Four Nations Highlight 32nd Windermere Cup This Saturday On May 5 the Montlake Cut will play host once again to the Windermere Cup rowing regatta. For the past 32 years, Windermere Real Estate and the University of Washington have joined together to host this event, which brings the world’s best crews to Seattle to compete against the perennially acclaimed UW men’s and women’s teams. Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Windermere Cup...
Living Simple Steps for Maintaining Air Quality in Your Home Most of us tend to think of air pollution as something that occurs outdoors where car exhaust and factory fumes proliferate, but there’s such a thing as indoor air pollution, too. Since the 1950s, the number of synthetic chemicals used in products for the home has increased drastically, while at the same time, homes have become much tighter and better insulated. As a result, the EPA estimates...
Market News Idaho Real Estate Market Update Idaho has added 24,000 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an impressive growth rate of 3.4%. In February, the state unemployment rate was 3% and, with the ongoing growth in the labor force, there are clearly still jobs out there to be had. Through the duration of the year, I expect Idaho’s employment growth to continue outperforming the U.S. as a whole.
Market News Central Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 96,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.9%—still solidly above the national rate of 1.5%. The counties contained in this report added 1,616 new jobs over the past 12 months, which was a modest growth of 0.8%. The local unemployment rate for the area continued to fall, with a drop from 9% to 8%.
Market News Eastern Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 96,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.9%—still solidly above the national rate of 1.5%. Most of the employment gains were in the private sector, which rose by 3.4%. The public sector saw a more modest increase of 1.6%. Even with solid increases in jobs, the state unemployment rate held steady at 4.7%...
Market News Oregon & Southwest Washington Real Estate Update The State of Oregon has added 43,700 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing a robust annual growth rate of 2.3%. Job growth picked up in the first quarter of 2018, with significant annual gains in Education & Health Services (+26,000), Leisure & Hospitality (+9,700), and Construction (+7,400). Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1%.
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Market News Utah Real Estate Market Update According to the Labor Department, Utah added 46,200 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months, representing a very substantial growth rate of 3.1%. Although the area has experienced a slowing in employment gains, the economy is running at full employment, which limits how many new jobs can be created. In February, the unemployment rate was measured at 3.1%, down from 3.3% a year ago.
More Windermere Real Estate Hits Refresh Button on Company Brand When you’ve been in business for 46 years, you learn that one of the keys to being successful is knowing when it’s time to spruce things up – and that’s exactly what we’ve done with the Windermere brand. We knew we didn’t need an entire brand overhaul, but a little facelift was definitely in order.
Market News Colorado Real Estate Market Update It’s good news for the state of Colorado, which saw annual employment grow in all of the metropolitan markets included in this report. The state added 63,400 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months, an impressive growth rate of 2.4%. Colorado has been adding an average of 5,300 new jobs per month for the past year, and I anticipate that this growth rate will continue through the balance...
Market News Nevada Real Estate Market Update Employment in the Las Vegas metropolitan area maintained the same growth rate as the final quarter of 2017, with year-over-year employment up by 2.7%. Over the past 12 months, the area has added 26,300 new jobs. This job creation has led the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to measure 5.1%. This is the same rate as a year ago due to growth in the civilian labor force.
Market News Southern California Real Estate Market Update The counties covered by this report—Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside—added 164,100 new jobs between February 2017 and February 2018. As a result, the unemployment rate dropped from 4.8% to 4.1%. Employment growth in Southern California continued to pick up a bit as 2018 started, and I anticipate this will continue as we move through the year.
Buying 10 Key Qualities to Look for When Selecting an Agent Buying a home is one of the most significant financial and emotional purchases of a person’s life. That’s why it is so important to find an agent that can not only help you navigate the home search process but one who can also answer your questions and represent your needs from start to finish.
Market News Western Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 96,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.9%—still solidly above the national rate of 1.5%. Most of the employment gains were in the private sector, which rose by 3.4%. The public sector saw a more modest increase of 1.6%. The strongest growth was in the Education & Health Services and Retail sectors, which added 17,300...
More Windermere Foundation Nears $36 Million in Total Donations Raised! Thanks to the generosity of Windermere agents and the community, the Windermere Foundation collected over $330,000 in donations during the first quarter of 2018. Individual contributions and fundraisers accounted for 58 percent of the donations, while 42 percent came from donations through Windermere agent commissions. So far, we have raised a total of $35,869,961 in donations since 1989...
Design Why You Should Stay Put and Improve the Home You Have In "Staying Put," architect and writer Duo Dickinson has assembled a terrific and practical guide to help us make real improvements to our homes. Dickinson, an advocate of well-designed and affordable homes for all...
Market News How to Get Back to a Balanced Housing Market Developers are not building enough single-family homes to keep up with demand. The reason why? Cost. Windermere's Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner explains why new construction is so cost prohibitive and how to shift the trend.
Design Why Not White Marble? Are you thinking about replacing your kitchen or bathroom countertops? The choices are endless; tile, granite, soapstone, wood, or maybe marble? White marble often gets a bad rap because it’s a more porous metamorphic stone than most (which means it’s prone to stains and scratches), but we beg to differ, and here’s why.
Design Home Decor Through The Decades As we celebrate our 45th anniversary here at Windermere, we’re feeling a bit nostalgic. The fundamentals of helping our clients buy and sell homes haven’t changed much over the past 45 years, but the way we decorate our homes sure has. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore interior design trends from the past four decades...