Expedia Employees will Descend Upon Seattle this Fall

Years after the official relocation announcement, Expedia’s move to Seattle is drawing ever closer, with some employees expected to start work in Interbay this fall. That figure will balloon to 4,500 employees by February 2020, when all Expedia workers are fully relocated. A large concern for Seattleites and commuters is the traffic impact, but as Seattle Times reports, the new office “will be an oasis for employees who want to avoid driving to work, offering private shuttles, plentiful bike amenities and cash for every day they don’t drive.” There is a parking structure for those that are committed to automobile use, which will accommodate 2,300 vehicles with room for expansion.

What to Make of Seattle’s Market Cooldown

It’s been a time of some uncertainty in the Seattle real estate market, as buyers and sellers have felt wary of falling home prices, longer market times, and growing inventory. As a Seattle Times article from early September noted, “home prices are continuing to fall across an unseasonably cool Seattle real estate market, with homes that would have been snapped up in an instant just several months ago now sitting unsold.” August represented the third straight month of median home price declines in King County, with the countywide cost of a single-family home, at $669,000, down nearly $60,000 compared to May 2018.

Market UpdateAaron FreemanSeptember 17, 2018Seattle, Seattle Times, King County, Ballard, Sunset Hill, Head Tax, Population Growth, Interest RatesComment

WeWork Adds to Seattle Presence with Two New Leases

WeWork, an international co-working space provider, is greatly adding to its Emerald City footprint, as a recent report by Colliers International reveals that WeWork signed the two largest leases in Seattle in the second quarter of 2018, securing 120,000 square feet of office space at Metropolitan Park East, and an additional 115,000 at 1201 3rd Avenue. Seattle ranked tenth on the list of the nation’s top office markets, but its performance is quite stellar given the strength of WeWork and e-commerce giant Amazon.

Sellers Bring Down Sales Prices as Seattle Market Continues to Cool

For the first time in years, homes in the Seattle area are spending weeks—rather than just days—on the market, bidding wars become an exception to the rule, and sellers are bringing down sales prices to attract buyers in a cooling market. As Seattle Times reports, July 2018 was the first time in four years that the market began to lean in favor of the buyer, as inventory continues to increase, this time at a staggering 44-percent rate in King County.

Seattle Market Home Price Growth Slows Amidst Inventory Increases

According to a recent article featured in Seattle Times, Seattle is finally seeing inventory increase “as the rapid-fire market that has led to extreme bidding wars and lightning-fast sales slows a bit.” To be sure, looking at numbers from June 2018, the number of single-family homes “jumped an eye-popping 43 percent” while “condo inventory rocketed up 73 percent.” Neighborhoods such as Ballard/Green Lake/Greenwood and SODO/Beacon Hill doubled their inventory, while downtown Seattle condos saw a three-fold increase.

Seattle Tops the Nation in Home Price Growth for 18th Consecutive Month

Seattle has now topped the nation in home price growth on the S&P/CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index for eighteen months in gains that are once again widening on a monthly basis. Despite slipping slightly last summer, February’s monthly increase exceeded January’s by 1.74 percent, representing an average price increase of 1% per month over the last twelve months.

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Aaron Freeman