07/15/2024
OMB presented to Olympia Rotary today-informative sobering and hopeful all at the same time. One thing I learned today was by upping the standards beyond the national ones puts Washington state builders in an untenable position at times. One example given was the Energy Star rating for windows. At a star above the national standard, builders are forced to use 1 window manufacturer IN THE WORLD. Just so happens to be in Vancouver BC, but aside from being close, you can clearly see the issue when government officials make policy without input from industry advocates and experts. Appliances are another example...let me know if you'd like to see more from today's meeting!
Welcome to Angela, Jessie, and Christina from Olympia Master Builders. They shared challenges for home buyers in our community.
The average home in Thurston County for sale is $565,000 and there's only two months of inventory. Before a home is even started, the builder is in for $120,000 to $140,000 in permits and fees.