This week, Nick Harper and Allison Butcher from our Government Affairs team provide an update on bringing administrative final plat approval processes to local jurisdictions, as allowed under MBA-supported SB 5674, signed by Governor Inslee this year. This change will save applicants six to eight weeks of time in the approval process.

On Monday, the Auburn City Council voted unanimously to be the first local jurisdiction to make the final plat process on long subdivisions administrative, effective July 23, 2017. This change was enabled by MBA-supported legislation.

At its most recent city council meeting, the city of Bothell deferred consideration of its proposed tree code changes until September at the earliest.

A new report from Zillow says the amount of homes for sale dropped at the fastest speed in almost four years. According to the report, there were about 9 percent fewer homes to choose from nationally this May compared to a year ago. That's one reason home prices continue to climb. "With fewer homes for sale, competition becomes so fierce that people snatch them up quickly, and homes spend less and less time on the market," the report said.

SEATTLE, WA - Maybe this is a great deal. Who really knows anymore? The Puget Sound real estate market is so crazy that just about any house could sell for $1 million, whether it's an ultra-modern 5,000 square-foot box or a boarded-up shack built by a fisherman in 1906. At any rate, if you have a ton of money, this house would probably be pretty great to buy. If you fix the building up, you'd be restoring a piece of Seattle history. Think of the restored woodwork! On the other hand, you could tear it down and build an ultra-modern 5,000 square-foot box with enough windows to see clear to Spokane.