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.

Seattle Is the Nation's Hottest Housing Market… Still

Can you count to 15?

That's how many months the City of Seattle has worn the increasingly heavy crown of hottest U.S. housing market. The median home in Seattle now costs more than $718,000, a 16.2 percent rise over the last 12 months according to Zillow. The Seattle-based real estate company does predict the city's massive gains to simmer down to just 5.7 percent over the next 12 months.

Still, 15 months is an impressive streak. And that got us thinking—which streaks have we beat as the nation's fastest-growing residential market in the country, behind first- and second-place losers Las Vegas and San Francisco?

Lance Armstrong recorded seven straight Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005. I forget what happened after that.

Retired NBA center Chris Dudley once missed 13 straight free throws in a row, one of which included an air ball.

Pro surfer and Baywatch alum Kelly Slater won 11 world surfing championships, including five in a row from 1994 to 1998.

Okay, maybe we're not quite at legendary status yet, but hey, give it time.

The Seattle-based epicenter of explosive home prices has for some time been distributing its affluent ash across the region, covering the greater Puget Sound landscape with extravagant home prices and happy homeowners—and despondent home buyers. But that's life in the Pacific Northwest right now.

Even while Amazon looks to expand its lush landscape and make traffic stand still elsewhere, plenty more workers will be testing our rich soil in the coming months and maybe years, though they'll be paying a hefty price for a spot in our Emerald garden.

Where might one find their dream home in the foggy future?

MBAKS member Quadrant Homes, for one, is looking to build 63 single-family residences near Laurelhurst on the 17.8 acres currently housing the Talaris Conference Center. If all goes according to Quadrant's plan, the homes would be hot property, with individual lots averaging 5,500 square feet upon which homeowners could enjoy high-end residential living and easy access to everything.

While we wait, we can keep counting months and finding new records to compare to…

When housing and environmental policy are designed well, they don’t have to compete. New data from Snohomish County proves it.

A recently released county report confirms that the “right tree, right place” approach is delivering real results. Every residential development completed through 2025 met the county’s tree canopy requirements — and nearly one-third exceeded them. Countywide coverage remains above target, with more than 4,600 new trees planted through new homes built across the county.

What the Data Shows

The report reflects what’s possible when environmental standards are clear, workable, and built into the development process from the start. Builders met the requirements. Many went further. And the county’s canopy continues to grow alongside new home construction.

This is the kind of outcome balanced policy is designed to produce.

Why It Matters

At MBAKS, we advocate for land use policies that allow homes to be built without sacrificing community values — including healthy, sustainable neighborhoods. Snohomish County’s approach demonstrates that sustainability and new home construction aren’t in opposition. With the right framework in place, they advance together.

We applaud the County for taking a data-driven approach to this work and for showing what thoughtful, solutions-oriented policy can achieve.

Read the full report from Snohomish County →