Shows
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#839 - 150 Businesses in King County Receive Complaints Over Not Complying With COVID Vaccine VerificationKing County has received complaints about 150 businesses as of last week that members of the public feel haven’t been complying with a new countywide policy requiring patrons to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test, according to the county’s public health department.The new requirement went into effect about two weeks ago, and applies to bars and restaurants with indoor dining, gyms, theaters and museums in King County. The rule also applies to conferences and conventions, and any large outdoor gatherings with more than 500 people — though children under age 12 are exempt.The co...
2021-11-1735 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#838 - Makeshift Double Decker RV Returns to Ballard Causing Residents to be Upset!An RV that had been parked in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood that prompted concern from residents and businesses is back.Bigger and taller than ever.“This has just gotten worse and worse and worse," said Carolyn Boyle, owner of a food delivery company called New Roots Organics. "There’s no enforcement."A makeshift upper deck is being constructed again on the vehicle parked along 8th Avenue NW in Ballard near residential streets and several shops, including the Sunny Honey Company.“I thought it was going to be taken care of and dismantled,” owner An...
2021-11-1728 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#837 - Due to Supply-Chain Problems Retailers Urge Consumers to Shop Earlier Than Black FridayRetailers and logistics experts have warned that supply-chain problems will make certain items more expensive or difficult to obtain this holiday season. They're urging people to start shopping early, well before Black Friday, if they want to ensure they have presents — and a tree to put them under. "Supply-chain disruptions have really been impacting the retail industry since the start of the pandemic," Katherine Cullen, National Retail Federation's senior director of industry and consumer insights, told Insider. The problems have been piling up for over a year and a half, compounding one another. "There are many...
2021-11-1629 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#836 - Why Portland Has Fewer Working Cops Now Than Any Point In The Last 30 YearsThe Portland Police Bureau currently deploys fewer sworn officers — 789 — than at any point in the past in 30 years, according to the bureau and an analysis of records by The Oregonian/OregonLive, even though the city added more than 165,000 new residents over that period.Why? One big reason is the city’s growing struggle to hire new cops and retain the ones it has.Ten years ago, Oregon’s largest city had nearly 1,000 working sworn officers, from those driving patrol up to the chief. But that number stands below 800 today – in part because city leaders have shrunk the...
2021-11-1643 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#835 - Liberal Seattle Elects Republican Ann Davison As City AttorneyIn a local election that drew some national attention, with former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders making endorsements, self-described progressive candidates faced off with more conservative business interests in a series of elections for local offices throughout the city of Seattle and Martin Luther King County.All ballots had been dropped off or mailed as of Nov 3rd but the elections will not be officially certified until later this month.Close voting results for election to the offices of Port Commissioner and to the Martin Luther King County Commission were still too close to call as...
2021-11-1530 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#834 - Father of CHOP Victim Files New Lawsuit Naming Durkan & SawantThe father of a 19-year-old man shot and killed after Seattle police abandoned the East Precinct on Capitol Hill during racial protests in June 2020 has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging Mayor Jenny Durkan, Councilmember Kshama Sawant and others acted with “deliberate indifference” to the lawlessness and contributed to his death.The 40-page complaint filed by Horace Anderson and the estate of his dead son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, was filed in King County Superior Court on Wednesday, just two days after a federal judge dismissed similar claims filed in U.S. District Court by the young man’s mother...
2021-11-1529 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#833 - The Federal Appeals Court Halts Vaccine Mandate For Larger BusinessesA federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests.Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the action stops President Joe Biden “from moving forward with his unlawful overreach.”“The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances afforded by the c...
2021-11-1418 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#832 - Republican Govenors Lead Attack On Joe Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine MandateTens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday.The new requirements are the Biden administration’s boldest move yet to persuade reluctant Americans to finally get a vaccine that has been widely available for months — or face financial consequences. If successful, administration officials believe it will go a long way toward ending a pandemic that has killed more than 750,000 Americans.First previewed by President Joe Biden in September, the...
2021-11-1331 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#831 - The City of Seattle Tells Volunteer Group to Stop Helping the Homeless Due to Being DisruptiveTired of writing to city leaders and getting no response, a crew of Northwest Seattle neighbors decided last year to start taking action. Armed with little more than barbecue tongs, kitchen-style pinchers, and trash bags, the grassroots “We Heart Seattle” volunteer team has since cleaned up more than 320,000 pounds of curbside garbage from around homeless camps.For that — and for helping 68 indigent tent-and-tarp dwellers with resources to stop living on the street – City of Seattle leaders have a clear message for these volunteers: Knock it off.“Stop helping homeless people. Stop picking up garbage in our parks...
2021-11-1224 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#830 - Big Blow to Defund the Police As Minneapolis Residents Vote Against Replacing The City's Police DeptDespite widespread criticism of their police department and its conduct, voters in Minneapolis have decided they do not want a new model of public safety implemented in their city.During Tuesday’s city elections, voters’ ballots included a question asking them if they want to replace the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) with a new department of public safety, which would take a “public health approach” to addressing safety issues.56% of voters (80,506 people) rejected the ballot question.“This should be a wakeup call to politicians who want to simply abolish and defund police department. Police off...
2021-11-1222 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#829 - Federal Reserve starts deliberations with US stimulus pullback expectedThe Federal Reserve began its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, opening deliberations that are expected to see it announce a pull back of the stimulus it put in place to support the US economy at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.Central bankers have clearly telegraphed plans to slow their massive monthly bond buying program that helped stave off a financial collapse as the world's largest economy reeled from the pandemic damage in March 2020.But the tougher question facing members of the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) at the meeting a central bank...
2021-11-1124 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#828 - Seattle pro-police candidates lead progressives in races a year after CHOPFormer Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, who ran on a pro-police message, led the returns in the race for Seattle mayor by nearly 30 points against progressive M. Lorena González, the current president, late Tuesday.Harrell told FOX 13 in Seattle Tuesday he thought his message resonated with voters. "I’m not a status quo politician, they want the homeless issue addressed with a sense of urgency, they want effective policing …biased-free policing, so we feel very good about the results," he said. Harrell’s lead comes a year after the liberal northwest city was...
2021-11-1124 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#827 - Ballard Starbucks closes as nearby businesses deal with safety concernsAs complaints about crime and safety issues stack up in Ballard, a prominent Starbucks location has suddenly closed in the heart of the neighborhood.A Starbucks spokesperson told KOMO News the company wants to update the location to make it more welcoming. People in the neighborhood said workers at the Starbucks at 2200 NW Market Street felt threatened and demanded better security.Ballard Health Club is just below the coffee shop and Pat Gilbrough the gym owner has been hearing about the problems.“We understand there was a plainclothes security man in there,” Gilbrough said...
2021-11-1020 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#826 - Ballard encampment fire breaks out as voters drop off ballotsThis election, voters are making clear that homelessness is their top issue. No matter who they voted for, voters say they are unhappy with the city’s current homelessness response.“Increased crime and homelessness,” said Crystal Rutherford, a Seattle voter, about her top concerns.“Things with the unhoused people who are in Seattle. Having access to equitable housing,” said Meena Mahmood, another Seattle voter.Next to the Ballard drop box, unhoused neighbors camp feet away. The drop box is the busiest location in King County.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit...
2021-11-1020 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#825 - Candidates Who Are Seen As Progressive Can't Count On Their Seats Anymore Not Even In SeattleEven before election results appeared on the big screen at presumptive mayor-elect Bruce Harrell’s campaign party Tuesday night, the mood in the room—a cavernous upstairs event space overlooking Second Avenue downtown—was jubilant. The campaign for mayor has been unusually ugly, and the candidates’ dislike for each other has been palpable.A late-breaking dispute over a González ad that the Harrell campaign denounced as “racist” didn’t help González’s campaign, but it’s hard to attribute a blowout margin of almost 30 percent to a single event. Instead, it looks like Seattle voters went hard for a slat...
2021-11-0921 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#824 - 'Defund the police' loses big in Democratic cities nationwideVoters in Democratic cities nationwide Tuesday soundly rejected measures to defund the police and elected candidates who campaigned strongly on issues of crime and law enforcement.Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain who easily won the New York mayoral race, had presented a nuanced message regarding issues of law enforcement. He had spoken out against injustices in the department and advocated for Black officers when he was a cop, but he did not support defunding police by reallocating money from law enforcement to other programs.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW...
2021-11-0930 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#823 - Southwest Airlines probing pilot's use of anti-Biden phrase on plane's public address systemSouthwest Airlines said Sunday it's conducting an internal investigation after one of its pilots used a phrase that's become a stand-in for insulting President Joe Biden during the pilot's greeting to passengers over the plane's public address system last week.The airline announced its investigation after The Associated Press reported the incident in a story about the growing use of the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," an aphorism in conservative circles for a vulgarity targeting Mr. Biden.The pilot's use of the phrase drew audible gasps from some passengers on the flight from Houston to Albuquerque...
2021-11-0819 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#822 - Lawsuit filed by mother of man killed during CHOP anti-police protests dismissed by judgeA civil-rights lawsuit filed by the mother of a 19-year-old Seattle man fatally shot during last year’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) has been dismissed by a federal judge, who concluded the city did not create a dangerous situation for the young man when police abandoned the department’s East Precinct during the unrest.In formally dismissing the lawsuit Monday, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour ruled that Donnitta Sinclair, the mother of Horace Lorenzo Anderson, could not show that the decision by city officials to vacate the embattled East Precinct during the racial unrest after the...
2021-11-0828 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#821 - Zillow to Shut Down Zillow Offers and Lay Off 25% of CompanyThe news is the latest in an abrupt turn of fortune for the Seattle-based company's iBuying service. The move is sure to have ripple effects for housing markets across the U.S., as Zillow has purchased thousands of homes through its Zillow Offers program.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2021/11/02/zillow-shutting-down-zillow-offfers.htmlSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/seattlerealestatepodcast)
2021-11-0728 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#820 - Gov. Inslee Lets Eviction Moratorium Expire on SundayAfter more than 18 months of pandemic-driven eviction limits, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he will allow the latest version of Washington’s eviction moratorium to expire on Sunday. That move will open the door for an influx of new eviction cases and test key tenant protections for the first time since the pandemic upended the legal process last year. “We have to have some end to the moratorium. You can’t have an economy ultimately where just nobody pays rent,” Inslee said at a press conference this week, the Seattle Times reported.Soon after the...
2021-11-0633 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#819 - Seattle Fire turns units offline, spends hundreds of thousands in overtimeSeattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate has caused an historic staffing crisis within the Seattle Fire Department.SFD is routinely turning units offline due to a lack of staff. The department is leaning on significant overtime hours to fill open 24-hour shifts. Not only does this lead to staff burnout, but SFD is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. But it’s still not enough.From engines to aid cars, the department can’t find enough staff to fill vacancies on weekends. The “brownouts” will likely extend into weekdays, stressing a departme...
2021-11-0525 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#818 - Seattle to offer hiring bonuses of up to $25K to attract more police officers, 911 dispatchersAs hundreds of unvaccinated city employees are placed on leave or facing termination, the city of Seattle will start offering hiring bonuses to Seattle Police Department and 911 dispatch hires to address “critical ongoing staffing challenges,” Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office said late Friday. Durkan announced an emergency order that would provide hiring bonuses of up to $25,000 for laterally hired and $10,000 for newly hired officers and staff to the SPD and the Community Safety and Communications Center.“When residents call 911, they expect an officer to show up — and when they call the 911 emergency line, they expect that someon...
2021-11-0527 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#817 - Rent Growth Is Fostering Big Demand for Bridge LoansValue-add apartment investors are back in action, and they are driving a boom in the bridge lending market. It’s all thanks to the great migration during the pandemic. As people traded urban living for secondary markets, including tech hubs, apartment rents in small metros and suburban markets climbed to record heights—and the trend hasn’t stopped in 2021.“Rent growth has supported transitional business plans where sponsors are buying properties with the idea of investing additional capital into those properties or executing a rental increase plan,” Alex Cohen, CEO of Liberty SBF, tells GlobeSt.com. “We are seeing a...
2021-11-0430 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#816 - California is Suing Kanye West's Yeezy Brand for Failing to Ship OrdersKanye West's apparel brand Yeezy was hit by a lawsuit from the State of California on Friday, alleging illegal shipping delays. California says Yeezy "repeatedly violated" the state's business code "by failing to ship items within thirty days and failing to provide adequate delay notices to California consumers, or provide an offer of a refund," according to the lawsuit. California's business code states that if a company does not ship products ordered online within a 30-day timeframe, it must provide a refund, send "equivalent or superior replacement goods," and send the customer a written delay no...
2021-11-0425 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#815 - Seattle motel owner facing obstacles in attempt to evict squatters from crime ‘hot spot’Aaron Cunningham had no idea the nightmare he was signing up for when he agreed to lend around $1.6 million to the owner of two distressed properties — an 11-unit motel and an adjacent, three-story apartment building — on Aurora Avenue North.Cunningham is the founder and CEO of Inland Capital, a Spokane-based private money lender that typically provides short-term loans to real estate investors to rehabilitate and rebrand their properties.It wasn’t until after the properties’ owner defaulted on his loans following a deadly arson at the apartment building in July 2020 that Cunningham learned of the two prop...
2021-11-0337 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#814 - California gas prices are sky high, with one town charging almost $8 a gallonIt's not your imagination. California, like the rest of the nation, is paying more at the pump.Prices are so high — and consumers are so perplexed — that a Google search of “Why are gas prices going up?” has spiked this month. Likewise, people are pleading: “When are gas prices going down?” which has also been trending on Google.The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $4.54 in California, which is about $1.16 higher than the national average, according to data from AAA.But one bold station along the Big Sur coast was charging...
2021-11-0323 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#813 - Governor Inslee to mandate COVID vaccination for all private businessesThe Washington Department or Labor and Industries (L&I) filed an emergency rulemaking package last week extending emergency powers to Democrat Governor Jay Inslee. This package, which is an extension of current mandates, grants Inslee the ability to enforce COVID vaccine mandates on all private businesses in the state of Washington, according to elected officials.Washington state house representatives Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) and Jesse Young (R-Gig Harbor) released a statement on Monday condemning the actions of L&I."This mandate from L&I demonstrates a complete lack of transparency, which dilutes public trust in our...
2021-11-0218 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#812 - San Francisco families no longer 'feel safe,' hire private security amid crime spreeMore than 150 families living in San Francisco have hired private security to patrol their streets amid brazen property crimes, with some saying they no longer feel safe in their own neighborhood. "We don’t feel safe in our neighborhood," one local resident told CBS SF. "And we have an alarm, we have cameras on our property, but we want the extra security of having someone have eyes on our place."The local resident and other families hired patrol special officer Alan Byard to help patrol the streets of the city’s Marina District following repeated insta...
2021-11-0224 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#811 - Is Downtown Seattle Poised for a Real Estate Comeback?A LOT OF TRENDS that have been going on since pandemic lockdowns first started are continuing: A central location is less of a priority, and suburbs are heating up more than ever. But as amenities return to denser, urban areas and some return to offices, downtown condos are back on the rise—and the market is likely only going to get more competitive from here.The story is not entirely straightforward, and won’t be for a while. Since sales are reliably different each month of each year, year-over-year stats tend to be more telling for things like...
2021-10-3133 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#810 - Spokane County Sheriff's Office Recruiting Pitch: No Vaccine RequiredThe Spokane County Sheriff's Office is looking to hire deputies, and its recruitment strategy includes telling potential applicants that they do not need a COVID-19 vaccine to work."NO Mandatory Vaccinations Required" is displayed in the middle and end of the 30-second video advertisement on Twitter at twitter.com/SpokaneSheriff.Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said those parts of the ad are not intended to attract unvaccinated law enforcement officers, such as the 74 Washington State Patrol troopers out of a job because of their failure to comply with Gov. Jay Inslee's COVID-19 mandate.State employees...
2021-10-3030 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#809 - King County Set to Purchase Long-Troubled City Hall Park Near CourthouseKing County is ready to take the lead on revitalizing a park that for years had left courthouse workers terrified.Homeless campers had taken over City Hall Park, which is adjacent to the King County Courthouse, until the mounting crime and violence led to a sweep this summer.The King County Council voted 7-2 this week to acquire the park from Seattle. However, this is more than just a change of ownership. County leaders also plan to tackle the root problems behind the public safety issues that have persisted for years. Another focus will be...
2021-10-2917 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#808 - Seattle cops and firefighters feed homeless after getting fired for refusing vaccineSeattle police and firefighters who are out of jobs for refusing to comply with Washington's vaccine mandate were seen feeding the homeless in video spreading on social media. "Seattle firefighters and Seattle police officers that were fired for not complying with the vaccine mandate are out feeding the homeless," the Post Millennial tweeted Tuesday, accompanied by video footage of the scene. Video footage from Tuesday also shows dozens of the former cops and firefighters walking up the steps of Seattle’s City Hall to return their boots after being let go. Join your host...
2021-10-2923 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#807 - Seattle homeowner sells rental, says he doesn’t want to ‘be a landlord here’There was a Seattle home listing that was brought to the attention of the Dori Monson Show in which the person who listed the home, and is a landlord, said they’re selling it with their tenant it in.“Personally, I’m not interested in being a landlord in our little communist corner of the country anymore when you no longer really own the property you paid for and took the risk to own,” the post says, in part.The person who listed this house is attorney Lincoln Beauregard. He says Seattle is passing laws where he...
2021-10-2835 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#806 - Why Is Zillow Pumping the Brakes on House Flipping?Home prices are so high even Zillow (NASDAQ: Z) (NASDAQ: ZG) is throwing in the towel.Zillow just announced it will cease buying homes through its Zillow Offers business, which operates as an iBuyer, or instant buyer. In the second quarter, Zillow bought 3,800 homes and just announced it will not buy any more for the rest of the year. Zillow will honor its commitment, however, to buy all the homes currently under contract.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing...
2021-10-2834 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#805 - 67 Troopers, 6 Sergeants, 1 Captain Leave Washington State Patrol Over Vaccine MandateAs of Monday, 127 individuals had separated from employment at the Washington State Patrol because of the coronavirus vaccine mandate, WSP said in a statement released early Tuesday.Among them are 53 civil servants and 74 commissioned officers: 67 troopers, 6 sergeants, and 1 captain, according to the statement.“We will miss every one of them,” said Chief John R. Batiste in the statement. “I truly wish that you were staying with us. You have my utmost appreciation for the hard and successful work that you have provided during your valued WSP careers. You will forever have our respect for your courag...
2021-10-2733 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#804 - Portland police: Anarchists damage businesses in downtown Portland; damage in excess of $500KA group of around 100 "anarchists" caused more than $500,000 worth of damage to businesses and government buildings in downtown Portland Tuesday night, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The destruction happened at a memorial of sorts for Sean Kealiher, an anti-fascist activist who was struck and killed by an SUV after leaving a left-wing hangout on October 12, 2019. Police say the SUV crashed into a commercial building and then gunshots were fired at the vehicle. There have been no arrests in connection with his death. Officers responded about 9 p.m. Tuesday to reports that a group had ga...
2021-10-2722 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#803 - Walgreens Closing 5 More San Francisco Stores Due to Organized CrimeWalgreens said Tuesday that it will be closing another five San Francisco locations, citing the ongoing rampant theft plaguing the city."Due to ongoing organized retail crime, we have made the difficult decision to close five stores across San Francisco," a Walgreens spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. "Each store will transfer prescriptions to a nearby Walgreens location within a mile radius and we expect to place the stores’ team members in other nearby locations.""Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to th...
2021-10-2619 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#802 - Veteran Seattle firefighter empties locker after city denies vaccine exemptionThe Seattle Fire Department insists public safety will remain a top priority even though dozens of first responders could lose their should they choose to not vaccinate against COVID.Seattle city officials say as of Wednesday, about 88% of the department’s employees have been vaccinated, but that means dozens of first responders are at risk of losing their jobs. One firefighter cleared out his locker on Thursday, ending a 16-year long career at the department. Josh Gibbs rushed towards danger during some of the worst crises in our region including the deadly Ride the Ducks cra...
2021-10-2623 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#801 - Vaccine-Mandate Fight Between Texas and Biden Has Companies Caught in the MiddleThe move by Texas to bar Covid-19 vaccine mandates by businesses sets up a clash between the state and the Biden administration, leaving employers caught in the middle.On one side, Monday’s executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott forbids any private entity to require its employees or customers to get vaccinated. On the other hand, the Biden administration is working on requirements that private-sector workers be vaccinated or tested weekly at businesses with 100 or more employees.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a...
2021-10-2523 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#800 - Biden enlists Target, Walmart to fix bottlenecks threatening holiday salesPresident Joe Biden on Wednesday urged the private sector to help ease supply chain blockages that are threatening to disrupt the U.S. holiday season and said the White House plans a nationwide overhaul of the clogged system.Biden said the Port of Los Angeles would join the Port of Long Beach, two of the country's busiest, in expanding round-the-clock operations to unload an estimated 500,000 containers waiting on cargo ships offshore.Walmart (WMT.N), Target (TGT.N) and other big retailers would also expand their overnight operations at the ports to try to meet delivery...
2021-10-2526 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#799 - Seattle Police Department activates Stage 3 emergency operations amid staffing shortageIn what the president of Seattle's Police Guild calls an "unprecedented move,” the department moved to "Stage 3" operations Wednesday.That means detectives and other non-patrol units will serve as first responders to 9-1-1 calls.The department has already lost more than 300 officers in the past year, and hundreds more could face termination next week if they don't comply with the vaccine order.The SPD staffing crisis has become so dire, police union president Mike Solan is warning about what’s next, as the department mobilizes to "Stage 3"—an emergency scenario because of a shor...
2021-10-2419 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#798 - As Inflation Jumps Millions of Retirees On Social Security Will Get 5.9% Boost in BenefitsMillions of retirees on Social Security will get a 5.9% boost in benefits for 2022. The biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years follows a burst in inflation as the economy struggles to shake off the drag of the coronavirus pandemic.The COLA, as it's commonly called, amounts to $92 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Wednesday by the Social Security Administration. That marks an abrupt break from a long lull in inflation that saw cost-of-living adjustments averaging just 1.65% a year over the past 10 years.With the increase, the estimated average Social Security payment for...
2021-10-2429 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#797 - American Airlines & Southwest to Defy Texas Ban on COVID-19 Vaccine MandatesTwo of the biggest employers in Texas, American Airlines Group AAL, -1.56% and Southwest Airlines Co. LUV, -0.78%, have said they would not follow the executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the Lone Star State, because, as federal contractors, they are bound to comply with President Joe Biden’s requirement.The news highlights the clash between the Republican governor, who has accused the Biden administration of overreach for mandating vaccines, and private companies, who require greater certainty to operate safely, as the Wall Street Journal reported. Abbott has said va...
2021-10-2330 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#796 - WA State Trooper Explains Why He Quit Over Vaccine MandateA Washington State trooper, who was forced to step down after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, explained why he told Democrat Governor Jay Inslee to "kiss my a--" after serving the public for 22 years. Robert LaMay joined "Fox & Friends First" on Monday to discuss his decision to resign, the vaccine mandate, and his concern over the future of the state. "When we started off this program, there was several hundred that were willing to get fired," LaMay stated. "Well, then they started looking at their finances."Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of...
2021-10-2330 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#795 - Seattle Public Schools suspending nearly 150 bus routes following vaccine mandate deadlineSeattle Public Schools (SPS) is planning to suspend as many as 142 school bus routes Monday following the vaccinate mandate deadline for school employees. SPS attributed the reduction in routes to a driver shortage with their third-party vendor, First Student. Third-party contractors working with public schools are also subject to the mandate. Some groups of students will keep their bus routes as required by law, including students receiving special education who's individual education programs call for transportation and students with 504 plans that provide transportation. Students of families experiencing homelessness and foster students will also continue their bu...
2021-10-2227 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#794 - Seattle Police Officers Unfurl Gadsden Flags From Patrol Cars to Protest Vaccine MandateSeattle police patrol cars were photographed with Gadsden flags hanging from their windows ahead of Washington state’s vaccine mandate going into effect. "Some officers plan on taking time off to decide what they will do long term. They don’t seem eager to stay with SPD. Others explained that they are going to leave the SPD by the end of the year as a result of this," KTTH radio show host Jason Rantz wrote on Twitter, accompanied by the photos. "Officers took these photos in protest of the mandate."Washington state employees are required to su...
2021-10-2230 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#793 - Landlord Filed Thousands of Evictions During the Eviction Moratorium But May Never Get PaidThe federal eviction moratorium did little to slow filings amid the pandemic and debt has piled up on both sides. The moratorium may have helped millions of people who lost their jobs during the pandemic, but it did not wipe away their bills. Despite the moratorium, FOX43 Reveals that landlords filed thousands of evictions against tenants who owed rent. However, those landlords may never see the money that they’re owed.During this time, rent relief programs were being rolled out and a ban on evictions for nonpayment of rent was still in effect. We set...
2021-10-2233 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#792 - Big California retailers must offer gender-neutral children’s aisles under new lawGov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a law that requires large California retailers to maintain gender neutral toy and childcare sections. The new law, Assembly Bill 1084, requires that retailers with 500 or more employees in the state of California “maintain a gender neutral section or area, to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer, in which a reasonable selection of the items and toys for children that it sells shall be displayed, regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys,” according to the legislative counsel’s digest. Assemblyman Evan Low, D-C...
2021-10-2125 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#791 - Pacific NW governors hold fast on vax deadline as more local officials warn of worker exodusThe days are quickly ticking down to next Monday's deadline when most Oregon and Washington teachers, health care workers and public employees need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.Especially in more conservative swaths of the Pacific Northwest, elected officials remain fearful of a "mass exodus" of firefighters and health care professionals. They are trying different avenues to get governors Brown and Inslee to back off the vaccination deadline. But there are no signs the governors are open to delays.Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich took to the department's YouTube channel the other day to...
2021-10-2130 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#790 - Seattle Business Leaders Demand Swift Action to Dire Situation in DowntownBusiness and civic leaders on Thursday called for immediate action and investment to address the mental health and substance abuse crisis in downtown Seattle.Executives from Amazon.com Inc., Vulcan Inc. and Weyerhaeuser Co. were among the approximately five dozen signers of the letter, which the Downtown Seattle Association sent to the City Council and Metropolitan King County Council. It was full of hair-raising tales of assaults, vandalism and other crime.Among other things, the letter asked the city to adopt all of the public safety and housing investments, including increasing the number of Community...
2021-10-2127 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#789 - Elon Musk says Tesla will move HQ from California to TexasTesla says it will relocate its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, though the electric car maker will keep expanding its manufacturing capacity in the Golden State.CEO Elon Musk gave no timeline for the move late Thursday when he addressed the company’s shareholders at Tesla’s annual meeting.Musk noted that cost of housing in the Bay Area has made it tough for many people to become homeowners and that translates into long commutes. Last year, tech giant Oracle Corp. decided to move its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, saying the...
2021-10-2027 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#788 - CHOP protester sentenced to 2 years in prison for lighting fire outside Seattle police East PrecinctA Tacoma resident was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday for setting fire outside the Seattle Police East Precinct during the CHOP occupation on Capitol Hill in June 2020.Isaiah Thomas Willoughby, who previously lived in Seattle, admitted he used gasoline to soak a debris pile outside the abandoned police precinct on June 12 and set it ablaze, as part of a plea agreement, according to a news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman.The U.S. District Court in Seattle also imposed a three-year period of supervised release following the two-year sentence, according...
2021-10-2022 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#787 - Here’s What Happened to Murder Rates When Texas’ Capital Defunded PoliceDrivers heading south on U.S. Route 183 in Austin, Texas, have become familiar with a billboard urging city police officers to relocate to Spokane, Washington, to become deputy sheriffs and collect a $15,000 bonus. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has targeted Texas’ capital city, already in a personnel crunch as the homicide rate reached a record high, along with other jurisdictions that recently slashed police budgets. Amid the “defund the police” movement in 2020, the Austin City Council cut the police budget by about one-third and eventually lost 150 officers. In August, shortly before the city reached its all-ti...
2021-10-2030 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#786 - Seattle City Council unanimously supports decriminalizing psychedelic mushroomsThe Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously voted in favor of a resolution supporting the decriminalization of psilocybin and other psychedelics.The resolution, which is nonbonding and serves only as a recommendation to the Seattle Police Department, declares "that the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of anyone engaging in entheogen-related activities should be among The City of Seattle’s lowest law enforcement priorities." The council supports "full decriminalization of these activities."Psilocybin, or "shrooms," is a hallucinogenic drug that falls under the most restrictive Schedule I, which the U.S. federal government defines as "drugs, substances, or...
2021-10-1931 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#785 - Amazon CEO, citing ‘rougher’ patch with Seattle, looks to ’burbs expansionAmazon.com Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy is open to a reset in his company’s sometimes-contentious relationship with Seattle, but made clear that he’s hedging his bets with plans to expand in neighboring cities.The world’s largest online retailer is by far the biggest private employer in Seattle with more than 50,000 workers. That distinction has proved a headache in recent years, with some residents and government officials blaming the company for exacerbating homelessness and traffic. “I’d say the last five years, the city council has become less enamored with business or with Amazon...
2021-10-1924 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#784 - Portland's Solution to Gun Violence & High-Speed Drivers: Installing Traffic Barrels!Portland officials are rolling out a novel strategy to curb gun violence: traffic barrels.City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has ordered the Portland Bureau of Transportation to install the traffic-calming devices across a six-block area in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood that has been plagued by shootings — some of which have been linked to high-speed drivers.In a statement, Hardesty admitted there is “no simple solution” to the shooting spike recorded here and nationwide. Gun violence is going up even as other types of crime are decreasing. Hardesty said that officials must bring an “all-hands-on-deck” creative mindset to...
2021-10-1923 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#783 - Repeat offender's threats led to temporary closure of Seattle Starbucks store, police sayWorkers at a local Starbucks store said they feel like they are at the mercy of a man who has repeatedly threatened employees and customers, prompting managers to shutter the location for a few days because of safety concerns.According to Seattle police, the workers are worried the man who has been terrorizing them would once again be released from jail and return to the store at First Avenue and Pike Street to carry out his threats to kill them.The most recent incident occurred Friday at the normally busy Starbucks location.The 32...
2021-10-1823 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#782 - Here’s What Happened to Murder Rates When Texas’ Capital Defunded PoliceDrivers heading south on U.S. Route 183 in Austin, Texas, have become familiar with a billboard urging city police officers to relocate to Spokane, Washington, to become deputy sheriffs and collect a $15,000 bonus. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has targeted Texas’ capital city, already in a personnel crunch as the homicide rate reached a record high, along with other jurisdictions that recently slashed police budgets. Amid the “defund the police” movement in 2020, the Austin City Council cut the police budget by about one-third and eventually lost 150 officers. In August, shortly before the city reached its all-ti...
2021-10-1830 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#781 - Seattle City Council unanimously supports decriminalizing psychedelic mushroomsThe Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously voted in favor of a resolution supporting the decriminalization of psilocybin and other psychedelics.The resolution, which is nonbonding and serves only as a recommendation to the Seattle Police Department, declares "that the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of anyone engaging in entheogen-related activities should be among The City of Seattle’s lowest law enforcement priorities." The council supports "full decriminalization of these activities."Psilocybin, or "shrooms," is a hallucinogenic drug that falls under the most restrictive Schedule I, which the U.S. federal government defines as "drugs, substances, or...
2021-10-1731 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#780 - Amazon CEO, citing ‘rougher’ patch with Seattle, looks to ’burbs expansionAmazon.com Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy is open to a reset in his company’s sometimes-contentious relationship with Seattle, but made clear that he’s hedging his bets with plans to expand in neighboring cities.The world’s largest online retailer is by far the biggest private employer in Seattle with more than 50,000 workers. That distinction has proved a headache in recent years, with some residents and government officials blaming the company for exacerbating homelessness and traffic. “I’d say the last five years, the city council has become less enamored with business or with Amazon...
2021-10-1624 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#779 - Portland's Solution to Gun Violence & High-Speed Drivers: Installing Traffic Barrels!Portland officials are rolling out a novel strategy to curb gun violence: traffic barrels.City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has ordered the Portland Bureau of Transportation to install the traffic-calming devices across a six-block area in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood that has been plagued by shootings — some of which have been linked to high-speed drivers.In a statement, Hardesty admitted there is “no simple solution” to the shooting spike recorded here and nationwide. Gun violence is going up even as other types of crime are decreasing. Hardesty said that officials must bring an “all-hands-on-deck” creative mindset to...
2021-10-1523 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#778 - Chinese property developer Fantasia just missed a $206 million repayment deadlineChinese property developer Fantasia Holdings failed to repay a $206 million bond payment due Monday, said the company, just two weeks after it said it had no liquidity issues.The missed payment adds to the already immense strain on China's real estate sector, which has been left exposed to the $305 billion credit crunch from property giant Evergrande, the most indebted company in the world.Fantasia is worth $415 million, reported Reuters, a drop in the ocean compared to Evergrande's crisis. But its bond default contributes to fears that an imminent major collapse in China's property market could...
2021-10-1527 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#777 - Facebook Whistleblower Tells How & Why Facebook Amplifies Divisive ContentThe Facebook whistleblower who leaked tens of thousands of pages of internal company research revealed her identity on "60 Minutes" on Sunday and clearly walked viewers through what she sees as the main problem with Facebook and the actions of its leadership.Her name is Frances Haugen, and she's a 37-year-old data scientist who formerly worked on Facebook's civic-integrity team combating misinformation, a group that was dissolved after the 2020 presidential election.Before Facebook, Haugen worked at Pinterest and Google. She has a degree in computer engineering and an MBA from Harvard.Join your host...
2021-10-1527 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#776 - Weyerhaeuser cites crime in Pioneer Square for delay in reopening its Seattle headquartersConcerns over crime in downtown Seattle escalated sharply this week after Weyerhaeuser reportedly delayed its return to its Pioneer Square headquarters due to neighborhood safety issues.In an email to employees, Denise Merle, Weyerhaeuser’s chief administration officer, said the timber company won’t bring workers back to the offices overlooking Occidental Park without “significant and sustained improvements in neighborhood safety,” according to a media report Thursday. Weyerhaeuser declined to confirm the message or comment on the matter.But Jon Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, said that during a conversat...
2021-10-1429 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#775 - Seattle police chief urges vaccination ahead of mandate deadline to avoid staffing disruptionInterim Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz is urging department staff to get vaccinated ahead of the city’s COVID-19 vaccination deadline for city workers, warning of a possible staffing challenge if they fail to do so.In a letter to staff Friday, Diaz said the agency has to assume it has hundreds of unvaccinated individuals based on current vaccination information submitted to the department.“This could create a disruption to unit of assignments,” Diaz wrote.The Seattle Police Department declined to provide figures on staffing levels and vaccination statuses of employees Friday.Jo...
2021-10-1431 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#774 - Washington State Drafting New Rules So Patrons Can Safely Throw Axes & Drink AlcoholThrowing darts is a classic pub game, but many Washingtonians prefer throwing something else: axes.Now the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board is aiming to toss new rules at businesses that mix alcohol with axes.At its recent meeting the board set the process in motion to develop new rules for liquor-licensed businesses that want to offer axe throwing as entertainment.“For the record, I’m not a fan of axe throwing,” said board chair David Postman.Nonetheless, he voted to go through with a rulemaking process known as CR-101. In thi...
2021-10-1414 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#773 - Portland Firefighters Will Soon Have Access to Bulletproof Vests as Risks IncreasePortland firefighters will soon have access to bulletproof vests while on the job.The decision was spurred by a “changing landscape” and more calls that increase the possibility of firefighters being involved with aggressive patients and bystanders, according to Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Terry Foster.Purchasing the vests was discussed by the agency’s safety committee and supported by Fire Chief Sara Boone, Foster said.Many specifics still need to be worked out, such as when the vests will be worn, how many will be purchased and when they will be implemented.Ho...
2021-10-1328 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#772 - Austin, Texas, Police to Stop Responding to Nonemergencies Beginning TodayAustin, Texas, police are urging the public to call 311 instead of 911 to report nonemergencies, authorities said. Starting Friday, individuals in the city are asked to use 311 when reporting crimes that are either no longer in process, when the suspect is no longer on the scene, or when there is no immediate threat to life or property, according to the Austin Police Department. "Please understand, if somebody is in danger, we’re still going to send a marked unit and a uniformed officer to go handle it," interim police chief Joseph Chacon explained Wednesday, according to KXAN...
2021-10-1326 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#771 - Vaccine Requirements for Large Private Companies Still Weeks Away, White House SaysThe White House believes vaccine requirements for large private companies are still weeks away from being implemented, weeks after President Joe Biden announced the new mandates were coming.During a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration hopes to have "more detail" on the regulations "in the coming weeks."Asked if this signaled a delay in their rollout, Psaki said it didn't, and that an exact timeline had never been given."Maybe we should have been more specific at the time," she said. "Obviously it takes some...
2021-10-1221 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#770 - Big Chains Aren't Requiring Vaccines for Customers Because it's... Too Risky?The Delta variant of Covid-19 is spreading across the United States, but stores and restaurants that people walk into on a daily basis aren't requiring vaccines for customers.Representatives for retailers and restaurants and HR consultants who work with companies say it's too risky for frontline staff to be put in the position of enforcing vaccine rules for customers. Half of the US population has been fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and pockets of Americans remain resistant or fiercely opposed to getting the shots. There's also the risk that such...
2021-10-1221 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#769 - YouTube Blocks All Anti Vaccine Content Beyond Covid-19 MisinformationYouTube will block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond its ban on false information about the COVID vaccines to include content that contains misinformation about other approved vaccines, it said in a blog post on Wednesday.Examples of content that won't be allowed on YouTube include claims that the flu vaccine causes infertility and that the MMR shot, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, can cause autism, according to YouTube's policies.The online video company owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) is also banning channels associated with several prominent anti-vaccine activists including Robert F. Kennedy...
2021-10-0640 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#768 - SPD Unable to Respond to Mexican Consulate Protest Due to Only a Handful of Units on DutySeattle Police says it was unable to respond Friday after security at the Capitol Hill-located Consulate of Mexico in Seattle called for assistance as protesters reportedly surrounded employees attempting to leave the Harvard Ave diplomatic facility. According to the SPD brief on the Friday incident, consulate security called for help around 4:15 PM saying 20-25 people were protesting outside the building. “Security staff said when they tried to evacuate the building consulate employees were surrounded and prevented from leaving,” the brief reads. SPD was not able to respond, according to the report, because there were “over 50 911 calls wa...
2021-10-0621 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#767 - Black Neighborhood Home Appraisal Gap is Real and Persistent, Freddie Mac ReportsThe racial gap in home appraisals is a real phenomenon, one that sabotages the wealth-building power of homeownership in Black and Latino neighborhoods, mortgage giant Freddie Mac said.The company released an analysis Monday showing that appraised values are more likely to fall short of the contract price for homes in census tracts with a higher share of Black and Latino households. The conclusion was based on Freddie Mac’s examination of 12 million appraisals ordered for purchase transactions from 2015 to 2020.The appraisal gap matters because it creates a barrier for Black and Latino consumers hoping to...
2021-10-0535 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#766 - Washington Landlord Takes Out Full Page Ad Telling Others to ‘Refuse to Rent Anything’ in OctoberGov. Jay Inslee announced last week that he is extending a statewide eviction moratorium “bridge” period another month to Oct. 31. Meanwhile, landlord Don Cullen is trying to rally support and get the attention of lawmakers in the form of multiple full page ads in the Seattle Times.“In this particular ad, I’m trying to get the landlords to band together and refuse to rent anything in the month of October as a matter of protesting and showing what a necessity we are to the country,” he told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show. “My second part of the ad was...
2021-10-0529 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#765 - Costco is Renting Container Ships & Thousands of Containers to Shield Itself From Delays & CostsCostco has joined Home Depot in renting its own container ships to prevent delays and keep costs down as the global shipping crisis rages on.In a call with analysts Thursday, Costco CFO Richard Galanti said the company had chartered three ships to import products from Asia to the US and Canada. This would help Costco avoid spending six times the normal price on shipping or containers through a third party, he said.Each ship could carry between 800 and 1,000 containers at a time, he said. The company had also leased "several thousand containers for use...
2021-10-0421 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#764 - Berlin Backs Referendum to Seize Properties From Mega LandlordsVoters have overwhelmingly backed a radical proposal to take properties away from some of Berlin’s biggest landlords and put them into public ownership.Just over 56 percent of people voted in favour of a referendum calling on authorities in the German capital to expropriate flats and apartments from all landlords who own more than 3,000 properties. In total 1,749,923 valid votes were cast, with 1,034,709 votes in favour of the referendum’s motion, and 715,214 cast against.Although the referendum is non-binding, it creates huge pressure on the state legislature in Berlin to act.Campaign group Deutsche Wohn...
2021-10-0417 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#763 - Seattle City Council Approves Requirement for Six Months’ Notice of Rent IncreasesSeattle landlords will soon have to provide six months’ notice of rent increases and, in some cases, pay tenants who move after a significant rent hike.The Seattle City Council approved two bills Monday, the latest in a series of new landlord-tenant regulations including bans on some evictions and the right to an attorney for low-income tenants facing eviction.Councilmember Kshama Sawant sponsored the proposals, saying they will help “to mitigate the harm that is going to be experienced by renters because of skyrocketing rents.”Landlords criticized the proposals, arguing they could push small...
2021-10-0326 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#762 - Viral TikTok Video Accuses Zillow and Others of Manipulating the Housing MarketAre companies like Zillow ZG, 3.21% and Redfin RDFN, 2.02% manipulating home prices by purchasing properties across the country? That’s what one real-estate agent claims in a video that went viral on the social-media platform TikTok — but real-estate experts say the reality is much more complicated.In a video that’s garnered more than 2.4 million views on TikTok, Nevada real-estate agent Sean Gotcher criticizes the “iBuying” business model, in which companies buy and sell homes for a profit. In the video, he proposes that a nameless company has a website where many people search for homes “when they’re bored,” and...
2021-10-0234 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#761 - Half of Unvaccinated Workers Say They’d Rather Quit Than Get a ShotAre workplace vaccine mandates prompting some workers to quit rather than get a shot?A hospital in Lowville, New York, for instance, had to shut down its maternity ward when dozens of staffers left their jobs rather than get vaccinated. At least 125 workers at Indiana University Health resigned after refusing to take the vaccine.And a number of surveys have proven that as many as half of unvaccinated workers insist they would depart their jobs if pressured to get the shot, which has raised alarms among some that more mandates may result in an exodus...
2021-10-0131 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#760 - The 100-Person Employee Threshold of the Vaccine Mandate Raises Concerns With EmployersPresident Joe Biden‘s call for OSHA to enact a Covid-19 vaccination and testing mandate for employers with 100 or more employees puts the agency in new territory for rulemaking.“There is no precedent for a 100-person threshold,” said Thomas McGarity, who teaches administrative law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and follows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulations.If the emergency rule the agency releases follows the administration’s plan to require that businesses with 100 or more employees ensure their workers are fully vaccinated or tested weekly, it also would be o...
2021-10-0128 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#759 - Hundreds Join Lawsuit Challenging Washington's COVID Vaccine Mandate for State, Health Care WorkersHundreds of first responders, medical workers and state employees are joining a lawsuit over Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.William Cleary and his wife Sherra Rae said they are unvaccinated and don't plan to get the shots. He's a firefighter in the Seattle area, she works at a major hospital, and both could lose their jobs after October 18, which is the state’s vaccine deadline for state, health care and education workers.“Where I work, we are possibly looking at losing up to 100, 150 people,” said William, who declined to name his and Sherra Rae’s employers...
2021-09-3027 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#758 - Labor, Building Material Shortages Depress U.S. Single Family Housing StatsU.S. single-family homebuilding fell for a second straight month in August as builders continued to struggle with shortages of materials and labor, suggesting the housing market could remain a drag on economic growth in the third quarter.The report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday also showed the number of houses authorized for construction but not yet started raced to a record high last month, a sign of reluctance by builders to take on new projects.Builders' inability to ramp up the production of single-family homes amid a massive housing shortage is driving up...
2021-09-3029 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#757 - Mayor Barrett Proposes Additional Cuts to Milwaukee Police's 2022 BudgetThe Milwaukee Police Department faces a third straight year of staff reductions under Mayor Tom Barrett’s 2022 budget proposal.Mayor Barrett says he plans to use $6 million in federal coronavirus funds to hire and train 195 new officers next year to address a surge in retirements, but additional budget cuts are set to once again shrink the department.In what’s expected to be Mayor Barrett’s final city budget address, Milwaukee’s long-time leader is proposing another round of cuts for Milwaukee police.“It is not my intent or my desire to reduce the size o...
2021-09-2927 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#756 - Seattle Mayor Durkan Extends Eviction Ban as Renter Protections Advance at City CouncilSeattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Tuesday extended an eviction moratorium until January, as a city council committee pushed forward two new measures to help renters.After falling earlier in the pandemic, rents in the city are rising again.“We brag about our higher minimum wage but it doesn’t even come close to covering the average apartment,” said Kate Rubin of the housing justice group Be:Seattle.Right now, Seattle landlords are required to give a 60-day notice if they raise the rent by more than 10%.On Tuesday, a council committee advanc...
2021-09-2920 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#755 - Governor Newsom Signs Bill Allowing Multi-family Housing in Single-Family ZonesGov. Gavin Newsom signed into law two housing bills allowing denser housing on single-family lots, which proponents say will help alleviate the housing crisis in California but which opponents worry will change the character of single-family neighborhoods and increase gentrification at the benefit of real estate interests.After signing into law Senate bills 9 and 10, Newsom said, "The housing affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream for families across the state, and threatens our long-term growth and prosperity.""Making a meaningful impact on this crisis will take bold investments, strong collaboration across sectors and political courage...
2021-09-2825 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#754 - 60,000 Seattle Area Renters are Behind on Rent as Eviction Moratoriums Near ExpirationUp until now, renters who’ve been struggling financially have at least had some peace of mind. Even though many have lost employment or had their hours reduced during the pandemic, they mostly haven’t had to have to worry about losing their home.That’s because of eviction moratoriums. There was a federal freeze on evictions, with some exceptions, which ended July 31. Washington state also enacted a moratorium, as did the city of Seattle. Both had been set to expire in June, but were extended (with some modifications to the state moratorium) through the end of Septem...
2021-09-2821 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#753 - Will President Joe Biden’s Vaccination Requirements Hold Up in Court?With the national coronavirus vaccination effort stalling amid hesitancy among roughly one-third of Americans, President Joe Biden has announced tougher measures aimed at getting more shots in arms and the delta variant under control. On Sept. 9, Biden set out three major steps to tighten vaccination requirements:- A mandate for federal employees to be vaccinated, with limited exceptions and no fallback option of undergoing regular testing. A separate mandate would cover federal contractors.- A vaccination mandate for employees at health care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.- A requirement that p...
2021-09-2732 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#752 - Criminal Indictment Imminent for Former Boeing 737 MAX Chief Technical Pilot, Report SaysFederal prosecutors plan to criminally indict Mark Forkner, the former Boeing 737 Chief Technical Pilot who is alleged to have deceived aviation regulators and airlines about a critical new flight control system on the 737 MAX, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.Bringing Forkner to trial could shed more light on why the flaws in the MAX flight controls that killed 346 people in two crashes were overlooked during certification.In a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the government in January that slapped Boeing with a relatively low fine of $244 million, the company acknowledged fraud and criminal misconduct during...
2021-09-2721 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#751 - Washington State Workers Are Getting Exemptions to Avoid COVID Vaccine — But Will They Keep Jobs?Washington government agencies are granting hundreds of religious and medical exemptions for state workers who don’t want to get the COVID-19 vaccine.But so far, agencies like the Washington State Patrol have granted just a handful of accommodations that would allow workers exempted from getting the vaccine to keep their jobs by working in a position or schedule that protects others from potential infection.Those clashing data points highlight the tensions over Gov. Jay Inslee’s order that state and school employees as well as thousands of health care workers get vaccinated by Oct. 18, or l...
2021-09-2631 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#750 - Investors Brace For Great Fall in China with Looming $80 Million Bond Pay for China EvergrandeInternational investors that have been piling into China in recent years are now bracing for one of its great falls as the troubles of over-indebted property giant China Evergrande come to a head.The developer's (3333.HK) woes have been snowballing since May. Dwindling resources set against 2 trillion yuan ($305 billion) of liabilities have wiped nearly 80% off its stock and bond prices and an $80 million bond coupon payment now looms next week. read moreWhat happens then is unclear. Bankers have said it will most likely miss the payment and go into a kind of suspended animation...
2021-09-2531 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#487 - Seattle really is ‘CRAZYTOWN’ — and it will be our salvation after a rough yeaIt’s not news that bad news is what sizzles. And in the past year, nobody has gotten scorched like Seattle.From being pandemic ground zero and then riot central and then homelessness cautionary tale, the city’s image has been roughed up and made into the butt of jokes nationally — especially by the conservative press.For a while, Fox News’ Sean Hannity labeled any report on his show about Seattle with one all-caps signifier: CRAZYTOWN.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look a...
2021-04-2728 min
The Kenny and Renny ShowEpisode 3 of The Kenny and Renny Show: Winnipeg Jets talk with Ken Wiebe and Sean ReynoldsKen Wiebe and Sean Reynolds discuss the first two games of the Winnipeg Jets series with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the brilliant play of goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Anthony Stewart weighs in with his thoughts on playing with Jets captain Blake Wheeler in Atlanta, playing briefly for Jets head coach Paul Maurice in Carolina and his connection with Canada's 2005 World Junior team that captured a gold medal in Grand Forks, North Dakota after holding training camp in Winnipeg and Gimli, Manitoba. Elliotte Friedman assesses where the Jets stand in the North Division and looks at a couple of possible...
2021-03-121h 12
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#273 - Seattle Housing Market Update w/ Sean Reynolds - December 2020Take an in-depth look a the red hot Seattle Real Estate Market based on the Northwest Multiple Listing Association End of month statistics. Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/seattlerealestatepodcast)
2020-12-1433 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#207 - Thinking About Moving to Seattle?! ( Is It Even It Safe??) Lets TalkIs it safe to move to Seattle? Great question!!! Considering all of the chaos, protesting, rioting, and political leader upheaval happening in Seattle is it really a safe environment to make a move to? A Seattle Real Estate Podcast sent in an e-mail asking Sean if Seattle is safe. Sean spends this podcast episode talking about it. Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)
2020-11-0322 min
Seattle Real Estate Podcast#70 - Seattle Home Prices Rise In Pandemic?!?!?! Find Out HowSeattle home prices are most likely rising despite the ongoing pandemic. This is the ongoing narrative by Sean Reynolds from The Seattle Real Estate Podcast.Historically low levels of inventory, more buyers than sellers, and historically low mortgage interest rates have formed the perfect situation to drive prices up despite the Washington State lockdown.Find out what's actually going on in the Seattle Real Estate market before it hits the traditional media. The Seattle Real Estate Podcast is hosted by Sean Reynolds, the owner of both Summit Properties NW and Reynolds and Kline Ap...
2020-06-0238 minSeattle Real Estate PodcastWill the PPP Loans Ever Get Funded?The paycheck protection program ran out of its initial $359 billion. The second round of funding has been secured by the federal government.With millions of Americans unemployed and small businesses everywhere teetering on insolvency when can we expect these Small Business Administration loans to go through and get funded?Daily Seattle Real Estate Podcast during the shutdown. Welcome to the Seattle Real Estate Podcast.Join your host Sean Reynolds, your host of the Seattle Real Estate Podcast. Sean is the designated managing broker and owner of Summit Properties NW and certified real estate...
2020-04-2525 minSeattle Real Estate PodcastYour Daily Coronavirus UpdateHere's your daily coronavirus podcast update from the Seattle Real Estate Podcast. Coming to you daily from the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak in Seattle, Washington. While we are going through social distancing, Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Apprsail will be presenting a daily podcast to keep you apprised of what's going on out in the world and how the coronavirus is impacting real estate and our lives. Join Sean Reynolds, your host of the Seattle Real Estate Podcast. Sean Reynolds is also the designated managing broker and owner of Summit Properties NW and a certi...
2020-03-1716 minSeattle Real Estate PodcastWhy Housing Market Crash 2020 will not happen!Why the Housing Market Crash 2020 won't happen with Seattle Real Estate Podcast host, Sean Reynolds. Find out what the one thing our market is missing that won't allow it to go into a fiery downfall. Find out what other experts predicting for the housing market in 2020. These 4 world events could kick off a market crash in 2020 if left unchecked. Historic levels of low inventory throughout the United States - how will this impact the overall markets?? Is fear setting in as the naysayers believe we are on the brink of an impending real estate collapse? Answers to al...
2020-03-0354 minSeattle Real Estate PodcastBest advice from a bar owner w/Dan Flitsch (Off The Rails Sports Pub & Savage Moose Sports Pub)Get the best advice from a bar owner as Dan Flitsch the owner of the Savage Moose Sports Pub and Off the Rails Sports Pub gives his inside look into bar ownership, bar management, owning a bar as an investment and much more. Dan will share tips and tricks he has learned over the years that have helped him turn bars around and provide a solid living. Ever been to a bar and looked around and thought it might be fun to own the place?? Jut about everyone has. Find out what it's actually like to own a neig...
2020-02-031h 00
Seattle Real Estate Podcast02: Why You Can't Trust Zillow's Zestimates with Nathan MorelloJoin Sean Reynolds and Nathan Morello of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as they discuss the in's and out's of appraisal in the Seattle real estate market.
2019-01-3048 min