It’s Friday, let’s sweep! | A nod to Seattle

Welcome to Friday! And, to the other basketball junkies out there that dearly missed March Madness in 2020; it’s back in 2021 and today is the Friday before selection Sunday! It’s a good day & weekend in the Smith house – all kinds of good feeling vibes. Don’t tell anyone, but, I’ll let you in on a Smith family secret: day one of the NCAA basketball tournament is a holiday in our house – yup, kids get an unexcused absence from school each year. I know, silly – yet, we all create joy in different ways! This weekend is all about the art & science of bracketology: Bracketology is the practice or study of predicting the outcome of an elimination tournament or competition. Bring on the madness!

As I sweep this week, Seattle was given a nod in the New York Times worth noting. Well done Seattle, well done. Yes, we have a long road to full recovery yet I do believe we’ll trailblazer and get there. Our real estate market & vaccine rollouts are in the same bucket; a supply and demand struggle. Fingers and toes crossed for both to loosen!

What is next? Washington state will soon move to Phase 3 of Inslee’s reopening plan. A few digestible bites from the headlines as we move to a new phase in Washington.

Note: I’ll be watching NWMLS for an update on what this means for real estate opening any further; nothing yet released on the homepage [as of 3.12.21 9am].

T-Mobile Park will be allowed to reopen at limited capacity to fans in time for the Seattle Mariners’ home opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 1, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday. This is part of the state’s plan to move into Phase 3 of Inslee’s Healthy Washington Plan and Roadmap to Recovery. The move to Phase 3 takes effect March 22.

Phase 3 will allows outdoor spectators, under some restrictions, to gather for sporting events.

Phase 3 of the reopening plan allows up to 50% occupancy of indoor spaces – including restaurants, movie theaters and gyms – and up to 400 people maximum for indoor and outdoor activities where physical distancing and masking are enforced.

Outdoor events in facilities with permanent seating – like at T-Mobile Park – will be able to seat up to 25% capacity with spectators physically distanced and wearing masks.The state said expanded spectator capacity for high school and youth sports will begin on March 18 so that parents and loved ones can watch their kids play before the season ends.

Just before that, on March 17, Inslee said everyone in tier 2 of the vaccine rollout will be eligible to receive it, which is ahead of schedule.”This is a medical miracle,” he said. “We have three extremely efficacious vaccines. Every day there is better news about how effective they are in saving lives, saving hospitalizations and saving your loved ones. So I encourage everyone who’s eligible to get to get a vaccine.”

The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine is the main differentiator in reopening, Inslee said. Eighteen percent of the state’s population has received one dose; 10% have been fully vaccinated.

Inslee reiterated the importance of social distancing, mask wearing to “pound” the virus.

Starting March 22, the state will move into a county-by-county evaluation process. Every three weeks, the state will evaluate Covid-19 metrics to determine if that county should move to a different phase.

The first evaluation will occur on April 12. Evaluations will occur on Monday and take effect that Friday.

If any county fails to meet one of the following metrics, that county will move down a phase.

I want to wrap this week with two new dates with ProDev on their The Power of Property Review class. And, if you attend and are committed to the practice of weekly annual reviews (2 per week is a good goal) I will share with you a template within your Moxi Present to build upon, a sample cover letter and checklist of items to include. Circle back with me if you attend either date and I’ll make sure a property review template lands inside of your toolbox. A special thank you to the Madison Park staff for helping me put together these templates! A huge lift and eventual time saver for many brokers. March class registration on the HUB and direct link here.

All in, for supply & demand to loosen (houses & vaccines!) – Laura