A report from the Seattle Times in Washington. "Renters looking for something that might qualify as a deal by Seattle standards are in luck as a record number of new apartments spring up. And with new housing openings scheduled to peak this spring and summer, there’s a consensus that rents won’t be budging much for a while. About 1 in 10 apartments across the city remain empty, and perks like a free month’s rent have become standard at most new buildings, and even some older ones."

"The Seattle metro area built 17,450 apartments in 2018 — 48 per day — the fourth most in the country for the third straight year, according to census data. That beat the local record set the prior year, which in turn had surpassed the previous high from the suburban-driven apartment boom in the mid-’80s."

"Only the New York, Dallas and Los Angeles regions have built more apartments than Seattle in each of the last three years. But Seattle is building more than those regions on a per-capita basis. A few smaller metros, most notably Austin, Texas, and Orlando, Florida, built more than Seattle on a per-capita basis."

"The pipeline for future projects hasn’t changed much — still sitting at about 45,000 units across the region, according to Apartment Insights/Real Data. Not all of those will get built, however. Brad Reisinger, Pacific Northwest division president for Lennar Multifamily Communities, which is building several apartment projects in the region, said it’s getting harder to get funding to build projects now because costs for land and construction have gone up so much faster than rents. He said it’s getting close to the point where projects won’t work financially for investors."

"'It has to slow down at some point,' he said of the construction boom. 'There’s still tremendous demand for housing in Seattle now, (but) how much more ultra luxury, Class A product can be absorbed?'"

The Statesman Journal in Oregon. "Salem apartment rents climbed slightly in early 2019 but Oregon's housing crunch showed signs of easing amid a healthy economy and a better balance between the supply of units and renters' needs."

"'The market is settling in some places,' said economist Josh Lehner. 'The supply of new apartments in Portland are bringing down rents at the high-end and slowing rents for moderately priced units as well.'"

The Long Beach Post in California. "More than one in five Long Beach residents are currently living in poverty, and more residents are rent-burdened — paying more than 30 percent of their income for rent — than ever before."

"And, despite the recent development boom, Long Beach has seen a slight downtick in our overall population and a continual rise in rents. That’s because the prevailing supply and demand — 'just build' — mantra put forward by city leaders and business interests is not working, has never worked, and never will work. The glut of luxury homes in Long each has not created a more affordable market."

From KITV on Hawaii. "Hawaii County has the most affordable homes in Hawaii, according to 24/7 Wall St. It says the median home value is $375,600, with a median monthly cost of $1,600. 22 percent of the county's housing units are vacant, which drives down price."

From The Gazette in Colorado. "During the first quarter, the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department issued 705 permits for construction of single-family homes in El Paso County, a 27.3 percent decline from the same period last year, the agency reported. In March, the department issued 274 permits, down by a nearly identical percentage."

"'It’s certainly not a red flag, ‘the sky is falling’ kind of position by anybody I talk to among the top builders,' said Todd Anderson, board president of the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs."