The booming apartment market in Seattle pushed Washington's level of activity to 3,225 units, a 25-percent increase. Single-family home permit activity increased in all States in the region except Oregon. Activity in Idaho increased by 21 percent, and in Washington it increased by 12 percent. Strong employment and population growth stimulated housing market activity throughout Washington in 1997. According to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, existing home sales were up nearly 9 percent over 1996 levels.
Affordable housing remains a major challenge in Seattle.
A key element to the city of Seattle's proposed housing plan is to encourage higher densities for housing in certain inner-city neighborhoods. A series of housing demonstration projects is being proposed for targeted neighborhoods. In Oregon, the tight conditions in the sales markets of the State's major metropolitan areas have begun to ease somewhat. The more moderate levels of employment growth and in-migration have recently lessened demand pressures. Single-family home sales during the first quarter of 1998 were down 4 percent compared with the first quarter of 1997.