The Building Industry Association of Washington has received a 2018 City Champion Award in the Partners for Progress category from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

The award was given to BIAW and other partners, including MBAKS and several of its members, for finding common ground to help pass Hirst and Foster “fix” legislation and for efforts to ensure city challenges were expressed throughout the process.

“This award recognizes the unique partnerships created to address the complex water resource issues that faced our state these past few years,” the AWC announced.

BIAW President Kevin Russell says of the award, “We are honored to be an AWC award recipient along with all of the other partners. BIAW is pleased that we were able to find common ground and a mutually agreed to fix for the Hirst and Foster decisions.” 

“The importance of the Hirst Fix cannot be overstated,” adds MBAKS Interim Director of Government Affairs Mike Pattison. “Without the hard work of so many dedicated partners, entire family savings and hopes would have been wiped out.”

Read the full press release

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The latest Builder’s Bulletin shows just over two months’ supply of homes for sale in King and Snohomish counties during November. While this is an increase from the less than one months’ supply a year ago, it is still below the four-to-six-month level that many industry analysts consider as an indicator of a healthy market. Median home prices fell month-over-month from $613,509 to $605,000 in King County and rose from $445,000 to $450,000 in Snohomish County.

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.

Download this month's report:

The Puget Sound region is a great place to live and work, as reflected in the fast pace of growth over the past decade. More people coming to the region means we need more people working in skilled trades—to build housing, commercial space, infrastructure, and transportation projects.

Recently, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) partnered with Redfin to conduct a survey of homebuilders. The survey showed 82% have had difficulty finding qualified workers in the past year. In the same survey, the greatest skilled labor needs reflected in the housing industry are framing, carpentry, superintendents, and program management.

Workforce development continues to be a top priority for the residential building community in our growing regional economy. MBAKS works with schools and communities to provide background and shine light on the opportunities available in the homebuilding industry.