I was flipping through the channels this weekend and stumbled on the Clint Eastwood classic spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Life imitates art and it occurred to me that most situations feature an element of good, bad, and downright ugly. I have a number of "First Party Insurance" claims sitting on my desk (e.g. an Association pursuing its own carrier for discovered property damage). Many of these involve the "discovery rule." Having dealt with this rule on a number of occasions, I've discovered the good, the bad, and the ugly of this rule. read more

In last week's post, we discussed the data and hard numbers supporting the influx of apartment buildings over condominium projects in the Puget Sound region. We concluded simple economics-maximizing profit-was the reason the large number of cranes in Seattle and Bellevue are constructing apartment buildings and not condominiums. But that's not what the building industry wants you to think. read more

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