Those of us who live in small homes tend to become obsessed with the best use of space. I think a lot about vertical space as opposed to square footage. When we had our kitchen remodeled, I designed it from floor to ceiling — all the way up and all the way down. Forget toe kicks. In our house, that space is used for long, flat drawers containing trays and cookie sheets. No crown molding for me. I wanted every inch for my kitchen accoutrement/stuff.

Creativity was key in my kitchen design, and it is certainly key in housing. We have been talking for months, even years, about the incredible growth in Spokane’s housing market, and have come to the conclusion that the solutions require heavy doses of creativity.

The Problems: Spokane has more people who want to buy homes than there are homes to go around, and those few homes are getting more and more expensive. Our real estate team is well aware of this reality a lot, and we have been successful in finding creative and effective ways to help our buyers’ offers stand out, but sometimes it just comes down to supply and demand.

Urban sprawl worries me. Building further and further into our remote areas causes more traffic and longer commutes. It encroaches on our wild areas affecting hikers and hunters. And many times, the homes built in these sprawling areas are not entry-level homes, the segment of housing we need most.

The Good News: It’s not all doom and gloom! Proposed legislation on the state level — and zoning and rule changes in Spokane, itself, just might be the answer. Members of team EvoReal have been listening in on discussions with the state and city about how adding greater density near public transportation could be the relief Spokane needs. In other words, doing what I did in our kitchen design — getting creative with the space we do have.

In some cities, “stacked homes” are increasing in popularity — multifamily, affordable homes that aren’t rentals — some with rooftop or community gardens, private balconies and/or front porches where neighbors can greet one another. Such homes are built near restaurants and shopping, near public transit so that a car becomes less of a necessity, and built for noise reduction, privacy, AND community — homes for both seniors who want to downsize and first time buyers who need affordable housing.

Check out Spokane’s affordable living action plan- https://my.spokanecity.org/housing/spokane-housing-action-plan/ 

Community support will be key to Spokane’s success with similar innovative solutions for what has truly become a housing crisis. If you would like to encourage your legislators and city officials to continue to explore such solutions and then to implement them, please email us at [email protected]. We will give you the most up-to-date information on bills, council meetings, etc….

Spokane has grown significantly in the past five years, and just as those of us who live in small homes get creative with our available space, Spokane can do the same so more people can thrive in our beautiful city. Click here for the data and chart tracking of Spokane’s growth in the last year. I’d love to help you interpret what this all might mean for your particular real estate needs.

Cheers, Jessica Side

Owner/Designated Broker

Team EvoReal is: Krystal Allison | Kathryn Bradford | Sarah Jane Brown | Shael Larson | Cindi McCann Julia McMahon | Stacey Sampson | Jessica Side | Mac Side | Dan Wilson