Originally Published By Alyssa Morrison | April 4, 2022
On Wednesday, 300 real estate professionals gathered at the Seattle Design Center to talk about the future of the industry in the region. By looking ahead at the next five years, developers, brokers, economists, and civic and business leaders shared insights on how the city is evolving, and what professionals can do to help their clients achieve their real estate goals, whether their primary motivations are living or investing.
Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty hosted the event along with Daniels Real Estate, Caliber Home Loans, Seattle Design Center, Windermere Real Estate, Ste Michelle Wine Estates, and Columbia Hospitality.
Market pundits provided keynote presentations, including Kevin Daniels of Daniels Real Estate whose video remarks not only talked about his love of preservation and the benefits of preservation for sustainability but also showed incredible city vistas and stunning interiors. Jon Scholes, President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association shared the State of Downtown as the area continues its remarkable comeback following the pandemic-related slows and shutdowns. And Jonathan Sposato GeekWire co-founder and owner of Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Magazine looked back at Seattle’s innovation that has gotten us to 2022 before he talked about what may lie in the city’s future.
Sposato also moderated a panel, featuring an hour-plus in-depth discussion about the future of the city, and the future of the industry across Seattle and the region. Joined by Dean Jones, President & CEO of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty, Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist at Windermere Real Estate, Amy Mutal, Principal & Financial Advisor at Prevail Wealth Management, Luis Borrero, Senior Manager at Daniels Real Estate, and Christine Madrid Sales Director, National Condo Division/Senior Loan Consultant at Caliber Home Loans, the conversation navigated predictions for the years ahead with a mostly positive outlook.
Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty’s Executive Director, Land Division, Tadashi Shiga led the second half of the day with his discussion, The Land of Opportunity. Among his insights into the future included changing building codes in Washington State and steps regulators will likely be taking to ensure the sustainability of new homes. He then moderated a panel of developers, including Blackwood Builders Group Trevor Johnson CEO, Terrene Homes partner Matthew Van Damm a partner, Tim and Sunny Co-owner and Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty managing broker Sunny Tumber, Principal of Dwell Development Anthony Maschmedt, and VP of Custom Homes JayMarc Homes Brenda Gage.
In addition to the thoughtful insights from the speakers and panels, attendees were also entered to win in the “surprise and delight raffle” which included incredible prizes from Columbia Hospitality, Daniels Real Estate, Infinity Shore Club Residences, and Ste. Michelle Wine Estate.