We took a break from our Painting a Better Tomorrow® volunteer day at YouthCare to talk to their director of community engagement. YouthCare works to help homeless youth become self-sufficient. This year's Painting a Better Tomorrow was sponsored by Capital Benefit Services.

Learn more about our community stewardship

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Single family permits are down 10 percent in the Seattle metro area the first 9 months of the year, compared to the same period last year. The single family permit decline is led by Snohomish County, which is down 25 percent, followed by Pierce County, which is down 14 percent. Within the three-county metro area, the only county to see a slight increase in single family permits through September 2018 was King County, where permits were up four percent.

Meanwhile, multifamily permits are up three percent throughout the metro area. While King County saw a nine percent decline in multifamily permits during the first three quarters of 2018, Snohomish County has experienced an 80 percent increase in multifamily permit activity, and Pierce County is up 35 percent.

The Builders' Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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Howard Chermak, founder of award-winning Chermak Construction, is a much-loved and respected leader in the local remodeling industry. In this exclusive podcast recorded live at our September Remodelers Council Dinner, Howard provides us with his incredible insight and discusses the ways to evaluate the overall health of your business.