Washington State, located in the northwestern-most part of the country, contains a diverse blend of climates and geological features. Shadowed by the Cascade Mountains, which divide the state in half, Western Washington is a blanket of green, temperate forests in a wet, mild climate. Eastern Washington, sheltered from the ocean weather, is drastically different with a semiarid, warmer desert-like environment. Mount Rainier and other various mountain tops loom in the distance from the western city skylines that line the Puget Sound coast. The major cities of Seattle, Tacoma , and Olympia are all located on the western half of the state along the calm waters of the Puget Sound.

The state is known for its tech savvy community, rich arts and music culture, and laid back, environmentally friendly atmosphere. Famous businesses like Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, and Costco are all headquartered in the greater Seattle area. Big business in Seattle has helped maintain a strong economy for the state. Numerous jobs have been created as a result. Suburbs in the Seattle area have transformed as a result of large population increases from job relocation. Huge housing developments are continuing to be built in cities such as Redmond (home of Microsoft) and Bellevue. Builders are even buying more land in anticipation of new jobs that will be created as the economy recovers. In an interesting article at www.builderonline.com , Home builder Murray Franklyn discusses their recent purchase of 337 acres of land in Redmond and their plan to build 500 new homes. A bold move for the current market conditions, but they feel that as the market improves the Seattle job market will grow rapidly and the housing market will follow. Read more »

New housing figures show signs that the Seattle market is already doing much better than most of the nation. A recent report by Hanley Wood on the healthiest housing markets for 2009 rated Seattle as the 7th healthiest. With 15,389 home sales in 2008, there are a large number of homes being bought by home buyers in the Seattle area. Homes are being sold at higher than average prices as new residents moving in have higher paying types of positions. A detailed look at this report is available here.
Olympia is another city in the state that has had success in the housing market. Rated as the 10th healthiest market in a similar report, the state’s capitol offers a smaller, laid back atmosphere with all the luxuries of a major city. Housing prices for the city have held up to the levels seen during the boom as higher quality homes are being offered. The city is also home to builder of the year, Scott Homes who have introduced some innovative ideas to the market.

Other Key Trends
The success of the Olympia market can be mainly credited to the new ideas that are being implemented by Scott Homes. Building homes that are very energy-efficient, they have become especially successful among the green Washington community. Buyers are attracted to the low energy costs from the use of insulated panels and inexpensive heating systems. Known as an extremely environmentally friendly area, builders are focusing on homes are that utilize green technologies. Buyers will have the opportunity of seeing homes in the future with lower and lower energy costs available and better building practices. With new homes being built everywhere throughout the state, Washingtonians will start seeing developments that maintain the green landscapes that they have come to love and keep energy costs down.  « Close »