成人X站

JOHN CURLEY

Only 2% of renters will buy amid Seattle’s new ‘Gold Rush’

Sep 14, 2015, 1:11 PM | Updated: 1:20 pm

The city is growing at a rate that hasn’t been seen since the Gold Rush of the 1900s. (AP fil...

The city is growing at a rate that hasn't been seen since the Gold Rush of the 1900s. (AP file)

(AP file)

There may not be gold in Seattle, but people sure are acting like it.

The city is growing at a rate that hasn’t been seen since the Gold Rush of the 1900s.

Seattle’s population has increased an average of 14,511 per year, of The Seattle Times reports. The most growth was seen during 2012-13, when about 18,000 more people scrambled into the city. Balk reports that one must go back as far as 1900-1910 in order to see a similar population boom, when about 15,000 people would flood into the area each year.

Related: Seattle mayor rolls out ‘grand’ affordable housing plan

Not even the dot-com boom or Boeing’s post-World War II success attracted as many people as Seattle is today.

So what impact does that have other than jamming the area’s already congested roadways and forcing people to stand in line at the grocery store longer? Well, for one, Seattle sure isn’t making things easy for first-time home buyers.

成人X站 Radio’s Tom Kelly points out that a mere 2 percent of current renters plan to buy a home in the next year. That’s according to a new survey by Zillow, which compares Seattle’s renters to the national percentage of renters, of which 11.4 percent say they plan to buy a home in the next year. The Zillow study shows Seattle homes have appreciated 6.6 percent in one year. But despite prices being high and renters refusing to buy, Seattle’s homes are still selling like hot cakes.

Along with the skyrocketing home prices, rent is also jumping at a rate that is changing who can afford to live in the city. Some landlords are even reportedly giving tech workers &#8212 who already make good salaries &#8212 discounts on rent, because they want the people who live in their buildings to have stable incomes. The incentives have gained so much attention, that Seattle’s Office of Civil Rights has begun an investigation, while the NAACP has vocally opposed the tactic.

It’s all about supply and demand, 成人X站 Radio’s John Curley believes. There are areas that can’t handle the influx of people. Not surprisingly, those areas are the more desirable of Seattle’s neighborhoods.

Ballard, the University District, Capitol Hill and downtown Seattle have seen an increase in up to about 2,000 people since 2011, The Seattle Times reports. Downtown has welcomed 2,170.

But if you’re a renter trying to buy, Curley says it’s just a waiting game. Eventually, developers will overbuild and prices and demand will begin to slip back.

“It’s like a Slinky,” he said.

Just how long renters will be waiting for the market to slip back to more affordable prices is anyone’s guess, however. 成人X站 Radio’s Tom Tangney points out that the median home price in Seattle is just over $508,000. That is expected to increase up to 6.1 percent this year alone.

Because of the prices, every house is the battleground of a bidding war.

“Renters don’t want to get caught up in overbidding,” Tom pointed out.

There is a silver lining to all of this. High prices for homes that are selling quickly means people in the area are making more money. The downside of that is they are probably spending more money than they should.

John Curley on 成人X站 Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to 成人X站 Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for The John Curley Show.

John Curley

John Curley

Bezos-S谩nchez marriage (1)...

John Curley Show

‘Is it gonna last?’: 成人X站 hosts debate Bezos-S谩nchez marriage as wedding plans ramp up in Venice

Explore the lavish Bezos-S谩nchez marriage debate and its implications. Will this celebrated union endure?

2 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Cle Elum Files for Chapter 9鈥擶hat Happened?

The small city of Cle Elum in Washington has officially filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy after racking up nearly $26 million in debt tied to a land-development deal gone south. Developer Sean Northrop, whose company City Heights is owed around $27 million, joined The John Curley Show to claim the city 鈥渨alked away from the […]

3 days ago

Cle Elum developer...

John Curley Show

Developer owed nearly $26M by Cle Elum speaks on city filing for bankruptcy

Cle Elum's Chapter 9 bankruptcy highlights $22M owed to a developer, raising concerns about the city's financial future.

4 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Cliff Mass Drops Real Science on Climate Hysteria

Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington and PNW weather guru Cliff Mass joined the John Curley Show to discuss Earth’s climate patterns over millions of years and provide real scientific data to pour water on the “planet Earth is dying” climate crisis hysteria. Listen to The John Curley Show every weekday at […]

4 days ago

wildfire season...

Frank Sumrall

Cliff Mass ‘not convinced’ WA will have a ‘big wildfire season’ this year

"This year is actually starting quite slowly. We're actually well below normal in terms of wildfires and, at this point in time, I'm not convinced this is going to be a big wildfire season," Mass said.

5 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: What is the Keeping Families Together Act?

State Rep and House Republican Budget Lead Travis Couture joined the John Curley Show to talk about his proposed bipartisan bill to amend the Keeping Families Together Act, which he and others morbidly refer to as “the dead babies bill”, hopefully stopping the skyrocketing number of babies dying due to exposure to fentanyl and other […]

5 days ago

Only 2% of renters will buy amid Seattle’s new ‘Gold Rush’