Working to Solve Housing Affordability and Ensuring Washingtonians Always Have a Place at Home
TLDR:
Housing in Washington is increasingly driven by speculation, pushing working families out of both renting and homeownership, especially in fast-growing areas across Washington.
The core goal is to prioritize housing for residents who live and build their lives in the state, not for outside investors treating homes as financial assets.
First-time homebuyers who have lived in Washington for 5+ years and buy a primary home under $1.5M would receive major property tax relief, including near-zero property taxes for the first 5 years of ownership.
Non-first-time and new-to-Washington buyers would face higher short-term property tax rates to discourage rapid turnover and speculative buying.
Investment and non-owner-occupied housing purchases would face significantly higher long-term taxes plus a 10% purchase excise tax.
Revenue from these taxes would fund a dedicated First-Time Homebuyer Support Fund for down payment assistance and affordability programs.
Long-term renters would be enrolled in a mandatory rent-based savings program:
3% of rent automatically saved toward future home purchase
Landlords required to match a portion of contributions
Savings protected from rent manipulation and unfair penalties
Renters 50+ may redirect funds into retirement savings instead of homeownership
The system is designed to create a structured path from renting to owning while building enforceable savings protections that currently do not exist.
Overall goal: replace fragmented housing policy with a unified framework that prioritizes residents, discourages speculation, and creates real, achievable pathways to housing stability.
The broader argument: housing policy should prioritize people over large-scale investors and restore affordability, stability, and dignity to working Washingtonians.
602 Words- Approximately 3 minute read
A Legislative Housing Agenda for Washington
A Unified Approach to Affordability, Stability, and Long-Term Residency
Housing in Washington is no longer just a question of supply and demand, it has become a terrible question of who gets to stay, who gets to buy in, and who profits from rising costs. Working families are increasingly priced out of ownership and renting while speculative capital treats housing as a financial instrument rather than a place to live, and a human right. How often have you eyed property costs in Idaho or Oregon and thought about the move just to afford a place to live?
Housing must first serve all residents who build their lives here, not only those who extract value from it.
At the center of my proposal is a first-time homebuyer protection structure designed to reward long-term Washington residents and reduce the barriers to entry for ownership. Individuals who have lived in Washington for at least five years, and purchase a primary residence under $1.5 million would qualify for a substantial property tax reduction—effectively eliminating property taxes for the first five years of ownership. This is a targeted stabilization mechanism intended to make the early years of homeownership viable for households most vulnerable to displacement from rising housing costs.
To preserve critical state funding, I will introduce corrective tax measures for non-first-time buyers and speculative purchasers. Buyers new to Washington would face a temporary increase in property tax rates during the first five years of ownership, discouraging rapid turnover and short-term acquisition strategies. Investment-driven purchases would be treated separately and more directly, with significantly higher tax rates over a ten-year period and an additional 10% excise tax on purchase price. Those excise revenues would be dedicated to a First-Time Homebuyer Support Fund, directly recycling speculative activity into down payment assistance and affordability programs for new entrants to the market.
I do recognize that not all (most) residents will not transition immediately into homeownership- a renter myself. For long-term renters, the proposal establishes a mandatory, structured savings mechanism tied directly to rent payments. A small percentage of monthly rent would be automatically placed into a dedicated account reserved for future home purchase. Landlords would be required to match a portion of these contributions, similar to a 401k account, sharing responsibility in building tenant mobility rather than extracting value without return. The system would include protections to prevent cost-shifting behavior such as sudden rent spikes intended to undermine eligibility, as well as provisions allowing renters over age 50 to redirect accumulated funds into retirement savings instead of homeownership if that path better fits their long-term security.
Housing mobility is hardly constrained only by prices, but by the absence of disciplined, protected savings pathways for renters who have historically been excluded from asset-building mechanisms like mortgage equity.
Taken together, this legislative approach will replace fragmented housing interventions with a unified system that aligns incentives across the entire market. It prioritizes residents with ties to Washington and keeps wealthy outsiders from pushing them out, heavily discourages speculative accumulation of housing stock, and builds a structured, realistic bridge for renters to eventually become owners.
Nearly every suggestion for correcting Washington’s housing affordability (or lack thereof) is a non-starter because large scale investors are prioritized over real people. It is time to stand up to big money. I will not back down until every Washingtonian can work towards a realistic plan to reach their housing goals whether it be a fixer-upper, 200 acre ranch, penthouse apartment, or suburban condo close to work. People deserve a place to live that doesn’t require sacrificing their sanity or comfort. It is time to level the playing field and put the needs of everyday Washingtonians ahead of big investors and special interests!