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Housing Translator launched by Seattle King County Realtors

Their FAQ for their facts

By Tom Trimbath
Joe Wolf

Seattle King County Realtors (SKCR) launched the Housing Translator, a web site that aims to answer questions like,

  • “Is it better to rent or buy?“
  • “What the heck are all these acronyms and terms?“
  • “Who are these REALTORS®, and why are they always SHOUTING?”

While handy as resource for new buyers, it also gives SKCR an opportunity to pass along what they think about growth management in the county, including the city.

Realtors are seeing the impacts of our growth. Lots of people are talking about the region’s growth. Buyers and sellers see the frantic action in the housing market for a while, in some case a very short while. But it is the realtors that are working long hours and who have been sprinting for months.

According to data collected by them;

  • 86,140 people moved here from April 2015-April 2016 - Puget Sound Regional Council
  • 10,259 building permits were issued in 2016 - U. S. Census Bureau
  • the Puget Sound metro region needs to build 28,000 new homes this year to keep up with demand - Metrotrends

In addition,

  • For the 12 months ending January 2017, 197,977 out-of-state drivers obtained a Washington driver license (though not restricted to King County) - WA Department of Licensing

The issues are complex. A FAQ alone won’t resolve it, but SKCR hopes it will influence the conversation. Growth Management Plans, taxes, insurance, densification, transit development, and resource limits like geography and economics make that conversation something that isn’t resolved in one article, one phone call, or one town meeting.

It would be nicer if the issues could be given all the time they needed for a resolution of the debate, but the growth won’t wait. Whether the site is helpful or not is up to you.

As one of their representatives put it,

“There’s clearly a disconnect between inventory and need, which housing policy needs to address.” - Sam DeBord