Autumn is here and we have the drizzle to prove it! I understand that this isn’t a universal opinion, but I am quite pleased to have the return of the chilly damp that is Seattle at its best. (Watch it get sunny and shoot up to the 80’s this weekend just to spite me.)
MyNorthwest has a slightly fluffy article about how apartment building trends in Seattle are preventing condo building. Or maybe it’s about how difficulties around condo development in Settle are causing that problem. It’s a little light on actual content, but does capture the very warranted feeling that there’s a gaping hole where the entry-level housing market ought to be. Useful if you’re looking to capture the flavor of the current market and aren’t fussed about details.
Less fluffy and more interesting, this article from HousingViews takes a look at the effect of the tax Vancouver instituted on non-resident foreign buyers in 2016. News of the tax was received in some quarters with the assumption that those buyers would leave Vancouver and come to Seattle. From the data presented in that article, it looks to me like they stayed in Vancouver, they just stopped paying as much on the houses to be there. (Price growth slowed, but transaction rates didn’t.)
If you’re more interested in the infrastructure we already have, Curbed did a ranking of Seattle neighborhoods to find the ones that make car-free life the easiest. They look at transit access, walkability, and bikability. It’s a handy guide, especially if you’re interested in details about upcoming transit shifts for some of the neighborhoods discussed.