NEWS & BLOG

Breaking news and resources from across the industry.

Builders Bulletin: Supply Continues to Drop but Permit Activity Rises

Posted on Dec 23, 2021 in:
  • Builders Bulletin

Homing in on Our Region's Housing Statistics

Despite headlines about a housing market cooldown and home prices dipping slightly compared to last month, median housing prices continue to rise year over year, with an 8.03% rise and a 22.29% rise in King and Snohomish counties, respectively, for combined single family and condo sales. Likewise, for-sale housing supply continues to drop, with both King and Snohomish counties—and much of the state—more accurately described as having weeks of supply, not months. Year over year, months of supply dropped 59% in King County and 37% in Snohomish County. There is at least some relief on the horizon, however, as year to date residential building permit activity is up 30% in our two-county region.

Please contact data@mbaks.com with questions or feedback. We want to know what data would be useful to you!


Months' Supply of Housing Inventory

As of November 2021

icon showing a house for sale King County had 0.38 months' supply of inventory (down from 0.93 months' of inventory a year ago).
icon showing a house for sale Snohomish County had 0.24 months' supply of inventory (down from 0.38 a year ago).

Many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month level as an indicator of a healthy market.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

 

Median Home Price

November 2021

icon showing a price tag The median price of single-family homes and condos was $740,000 in King County and $658,505 in Snohomish County.
icon showing a price tag For single-family homes only, the median price in King County rose 12.25%, from $730,500 a year ago to $820,000. The median price in Snohomish County rose 22.79%, from $566,000 to $695,000.
icon showing a price tag In Seattle, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $765,000. The median price for single-family homes only was $850,000, a 3.66% increase from $820,000 in November 2020.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

 

Building Permit Activity

 

Jobs

icon showing a hand holding a hammer The seasonally adjusted Washington unemployment rate for November 2021 is 4.7%; for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, it is 4.4%.
icon showing a hand holding a hammer Construction employment in Washington increased by 1,800 between October 2021 and November 2021. Total construction employment is 229,400 statewide and 110,200 for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett specifically.

Source: Employment Security Department: WA Employment Estimates (Seasonally Adjusted), November 2021 and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Population

icon showing a group of people The Puget Sound region's population as of April 1, 2021 was 4,330,400. Over the past year, the region added 66,200 people, as follows:
 

King County

+32,500

Kitsap County

+3,400

Pierce County

+16,400

Snohomish County

+13,900

Source: Office of Financial Management

Icons made by Freepik from flaticon.com

RESOURCES AND GUIDES

Help us build a sound future.