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Real Property Associates, Inc believes Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with the Black, Indigenous and People of Color of our community and will work together to dismantle systemic racism in our society. A task long overdue.

Judge rejects Seattle’s ‘first-come, first-served’ rental law as unconstitutional Choosing a tenant “is a fundamental attribute of property ownership,” King County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Parisien said in a written ruling. Share story Seattle’s...

The largest property-tax increase in King County in modern history is about to go into effect:

Though you wouldn't know it based on the influx of new residents and construction of high-rise apartment buildings in Seattle, as a country, we are moving less frequently, according to this article in The Seattle Times:

Once again RPA is proud to sponsor #ToysforTots this holiday season! If you would like to participate, please bring an unwrapped (new) toy to our Roosevelt office and drop it in our donation box during business hours. (7500 Roosevelt Way NE; Monday...

If you, or someone you know, will be looking for a home to rent in Seattle in early 2018, check out this opportunity to be a part of a new house-hunting reality-TV series. According to the president of the Casting Firm, "It’s a feel-good show that...

On Monday, the Seattle City Council voted in favor of a per-night tax on short-term rental properties, such as Airbnb units, according to this Seattle Times article. This new tax is a part of the Council's effort to alleviate Seattle's housing...

Not anytime soon, according to this Seattle Times article by Mike Rosenburg. Seattle has been the hottest real estate market in the country for a full year, with housing costs growing more than double the national rate. As we all already know,...

 

As a Seattle area property management company, we have heard many threats from landlords who are "up in arms" about the new cap on move-in fees. This article talks about this landlord group and the lawsuit against the city to overturn the ordinance....

The Seattle Times reports the first lawsuit to Seattle's new landlord / tenant ordinance.  We have heard rumors of several more to follow from other individuals and organizations.   It will be interesting to see how this all plays out:

If you’re an investor buying a home specifically for this purpose, getting your house ready to rent is pretty easy. However, if you have been living in the property and you’re now turning it into a rental property, preparing your home for a tenant...

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-chugs-along-as-americas-hottest-home-market-despite-slowing-a-bit/ As written in the Seattle Times: Even as local home-price gains slowed for the fourth straight month, the region still had...

To earn top rent in the Seattle market, you need to provide a property that’s desirable and modern. While there’s no need to completely remodel your property, you should make a few key improvements that will make a huge difference in attracting and...

   

  Seattle property management companies and landlords need to follow a series of specific steps when performing a residential eviction in Washington. Brian Read, an experienced landlord and tenant attorney who has worked with RPA for several years,...

THE SEATTLE TIMES BENJAMIN WOODARD ‘Sweet deal’: Ad for $2,000-a-month gingerbread house in Central District is the satire we all need right now For rent: a “HUGE micro house” with an “efficient floor plan” of about 1 square foot. But be warned, you...

An important update that will soon affect landlords, property managers and owners of rental property located inside the Seattle city limits. Recently, the Seattle city council voted for and adopted some new ordinances that will affect landlords,...

The first-come, first served renter's law has the best of intentions. But sometimes interventions in the economy can go wrong. By Jon Talton,.

As living solo becomes more expensive, finding a roommate is essential for many city residents. Seattle now ranks No. 1 in the percentage of people living with an unrelated adult. By Gene Balk for The Seattle Times, gbalk@seattletimes.com.

by Heidi Groover for The Stranger Over the objections of landlords who claim Seattle is burdening them with over regulation, a majority of the Seattle City Council sided with renters today and voted in favor of a proposal to limit move-in fees.

SEATTLE, Oct. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's competitive housing market, most of those who moved recently considered both buying and renting while looking for a new place to live, according to the Zillow Group Report on Consumer Housing Trends.

All mid-size to large apartment and commercial buildings in the city of Seattle are required to report energy consumption. If you do not report this information annually, you will be subject to a fine. One of the positive things that this does is...

The further one looks to the future, more long term the prediction, the more difficult it gets to forecast trends in the housing market. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try, though. We are property management specialists based in Seattle and the...

    In 2014, the city of Seattle enacted the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance, known industry-wide as RRIO. The purpose of the ordinance is to ensure that all rental housing in Seattle is safe and meets basic housing maintenance...

Over the last few years, all of us who are in the Seattle property management business have seen the proliferation of short term stay rentals increase through websites such as Airbnb. A recent study suggested that the number of active Airbnb rentals...

In the past, a thorough scrubbing and a little de-cluttering would suffice as adequate preparation for making your home "show ready" to potential buyers. With the popularization of home-decorating shows and HGTV, sellers are now faced with higher...

September of 2007 is widely recognized as the market peak for the Seattle area real estate market in both residential and commercial properties.  The peak was followed by a four year slide (it felt more  like 10 years!). Most of the stalled...

There was a good, national article posted in the Times over the weekend that talks about the amount of down payment necessary to purchase a home. Many millennials are feverishly saving to get to the 20% down payment requirement to purchase a...

  Everybody has heard of the term “renter’s insurance,” but not everyone knows what it is and what it covers. We’ve invited Andrew Cowan with FirstMark Insurance to talk to us about how it can benefit both tenants and landlords in Seattle.  

  A lot of our clients have previously lived in the homes they are renting out, and when you go from being an occupant to a landlord, there are several changes that occur. Insurance is one of those changes. We are joined today by Andrew Cowen with...

  Another Seattle Times article discussing California, Bay area housing and the flight of those in the tech industry.  We are placing many Seattle tenants with very similar stories:

Recently, we had a fire in one of our buildings which was caused by a vehicle that caught on fire in the garage. The fire spread from the garage to the rest of the unit. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the tenant held an inexpensive renter’s...

  Seattle property management companies and landlords need to follow a series of specific steps when performing a residential eviction in Washington. Brian Read, an experienced landlord and tenant attorney who has worked with RPA for several years,...

  At Real Property Associates, we have been providing property management services to Seattle, Everett, Bellevue and all the cities and neighborhoods in between for 25 years. We’re taking a look back at how our industry once looked and all the ways...

THE ZUMPER BLOG  Zumper National Rent Report: March 2016 San Francisco, CA rent prices increased 2.6% this February to reach a median one bedroom of $3,590. Though up, rates remain below the peak of $3,670 seen last October. San Francisco maintains...

   

THE SEATTLE TIMES DANIEL BEEKMAN

So you’ve decided to go for it, and buy your first home. Congratulations! The process can be both thrilling and nerve-wracking, especially for a first-time home buyer. The learning curve can be steep, but with a little help from the right people,...

As our tenant it is vital that we provide you with a safe and comfortable environment, and if for any reason you feel that an inconsiderate neighbor is interfering with the enjoyment of your home, we want to hear from you. Of course if for any...

One of the great advantages of renting is that you aren’t responsible to fix things when they break. As long as you take good care of your unit, and communicate with your property manager when there’s a problem, things should go smooth. There are...

WSJ JOE LIGHT

For February - Depleted inventory is contributing to "overwhelming" traffic at open houses, shifts in strategies for both buyers and sellers, and escalating prices, according to officials with the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage, today announced its annual list of neighborhoods across the country it predicts will be the hottest this year, topped by Ukrainian Village in Chicago. To rank the neighborhoods that...

The average price of existing single-family homes in the Seattle area jumped 1.2 percent in November from the previous month, outpacing the 0.9 percent increase in a 20-city index, according to Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index data released...

THE SEATTLE TIMES DANIEL BEEKMAN

With volatility and devaluation at home, Chinese investors have become the No. 1 foreign purchasers of U.S. real estate, and interest in the Seattle area is said to be running high.

South Lake Union’s transformation — largely fueled by the growth of its highest-profile employer, Amazon — has had a ripple effect that’s reshaped the surrounding city, for better or worse. It’s all happened so quickly. You don’t have to be a...

Changing the owner-occupancy requirement for backyard cottages could create a loophole for developers to tear down houses and essentially build multifamily housing structures in single-family zones. Share story FOR decades, Seattle has pursued many...