MBAKS members showed up in record numbers for our September 18 General Membership Networking (GMN), making it our largest GMN yet!

The evening was full of connections, conversations, and celebration as we unveiled our brand-new annual print magazine, Blueprints. Guests also got a sneak peek of what’s to come at this year’s end-of-year party.

A big thank you to our sponsors—Italian Custom Cabinets, Pella, and Capital Benefit Services—for making the evening possible.

Don’t miss your chance to join us at the final GMN of 2025 on October 16. Mark your calendars today!


Staff and members enjoy GMN and Blueprints launch!

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Data in the latest Builders Bulletin show a mixed bag for building permit activity in the first half of 2022. Multifamily permits in the Seattle Metro Area rose 20% in June, compared to the same period last year, led by King County where it was up 30%. Multifamily permit activity was relatively flat in Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Meanwhile, single family permits are down 17% across the Seattle Metro area as of June. Separately, the NAHB/Wells-Fargo Housing Market Index, which measures the confidence of single-family builders nationwide, has been falling amid higher interest rates and ongoing supply chain problems. Read NAHB’s latest press release on its builder confidence survey.

Download this month's report:

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Construction employment in Washington state reached 227,900 in December 2019, according to preliminary numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is the highest statewide construction employment number recorded by BLS for Washington in the past decade. Last month’s increase of 1,200 construction jobs in our state was led by a gain of 700 specialty trade contractor jobs, according to the Employment Security Department..

The Builder's 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: