The record-setting number of cranes visible in the Seattle and Bellevue skylines reflect a construction boom that began in earnest in 2015. Companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and other IT darlings are hiring like crazy. Like San Francisco, Seattle is a hot area to live, bringing thousands of new residents each month. With all of this growth, construction, and demand for housing, you may wonder why more condominiums are not being built in King County. read more

Interest rates have never been better. As a result, many owners have jumped at the chance to refinance their homes or condos at seriously low rates. Yet, individual owners are not the only ones who can benefit from these low rates. Community association loan rates are probably lower than you think. Some of our associations have seen rates in the 4% range, and they may be going even lower if recent economic trends continue. read more

It is common for issues between community associations and owners to escalate into disputes when there is a request by the owner to review association records. On the one hand, a board may not understand the obligation and elect to deny a records request outright. On the other hand, an owner may have unreasonable expectations regarding the scope, timing, and who should bear the cost of review. With this in mind, we offer the following primer on records requests. read more

One of Johnny Carson's greatest bits was when he donned a cape and turban and became the Great Carnac. The Great Carnac had the ability to divine answers to unknown questions. If the Great Carnac was real, he probably would have made a nice living as an insurance agent. Presumably, your insurance agent does not have the same mentalist powers as the Great Carnac. Because of these limitations, it is incumbent on you to actually ask the questions that the Great Carnac would otherwise divine. read more

Alternative Dispute Resolution or "ADR" is traditionally thought of as an "alternative" to litigation: ways of resolving legal disputes that are generally considered to be simpler, quicker and less expensive. But with many states requiring some kind of ADR after a lawsuit has been filed as a way of attempting to settle cases before trial, ADR is quickly changing from "Alternative" Dispute Resolution to "Additive" Dispute Resolution. Instead of becoming an alternative to litigation, it has become an alternative to trial only. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, because while most people understand that they can file a lawsuit to assert their rights, few people understand whether they have a right to ADR methods or how to initiate them if they do. read more