A Regional Housing Summit, hosted by Our Valley Our Future (OVOF) in Leavenworth, explored housing at a regional scale and highlighted the practical, local solutions to increasing supply and affordability on June 11.
According to data from the UW Real Estate Research Center, Chelan and Douglas counties have the second and third highest median home sales prices among all Eastern Washington counties, sitting just behind Kittitas County in first place. These prices push out potential first-time homebuyers, forcing them to stay in a rental market that has also sharply risen in cost, said Steve Maher of OVOF. UW Real Estate Research Center data shows that since 2019, the cost of rent has risen 52 percent in Douglas County and 34 percent in Chelan County, compared to a 14 percent increase in King County.