Seattle

Downtown Seattle's taxable retail sales nearly match the retail earnings of the entire city of Tacoma, as retailers find added opportunities to capture holiday shoppers, according to a Numerator survey.

Micro units have attained success in both bull and bear markets, and attention from private investors and large institutions throughout the Puget Sound region as efficiency units go mainstream.

The current regional availability rate dropped to 9.27%, suggesting a positive near-term outlook for vacancy, including the 80% occupancy of the Joshua Green Building after URG moved into new HQ space.

More than 60,000 apartments have been built in the Seattle-Tacoma metro since the start of the cycle in 2012, with at least another 20,000 units on tap during the next few years, including Fireside Flats.

It sure looks like it, notes key brokers from Kidder Mathews.

Long term, the metro's reliance on the expansion of Amazon will be evident as much of the supply underway is dependent on the company's growth, and a glut of supply will be recorded in 2018 and 2019.

The Puget Sound area has many large corporations driving growth such as Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks and Costco, leading to construction of all building types.

The lack of affordable housing continues to impact a number of Americans including the elderly in the Puget Sound but two recent financing transactions provided assistance for this type of housing.