As I was helping my father do some landscaping around his house, conversations and memories filled the air.

My dad bought his central Washington home around 1978.

My brother was 3 when my family moved in, and I wouldn’t be born for a few more years. But for more than 46 years, that has been our family home.

His 2 bedroom, 1 bath, single story 1,320 sq. ft. house was perfect to raise our family. The house that he and my mother bought for $22k.

Cars can cost more than that now!

Looking at Zillow.com, the house could go for an estimated $263,000 today.

man drawing on a chalk board. Dollar signs, house, arrow pointing up.
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My jaw dropped when I saw the difference in 46 years. Then I stumbled upon this map.

It is the 40-year change in statewide home prices, courtesy from the Lance Lambert House Price Tracker via ResiClubAnalytics.com.

The map shows the pricing shift from March 1984 to March 2024, and home prices in Washington state have skyrocketed!

The most in the entire United States!


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According to ResiClub’s analysis of the Freddie Mac House Price Index, comparing the past to now, Washington State’s prices of housing has increased 828% in 40 years!

A majority of the U.S. average between 300% and 460%, averaging a 494% increase. But the closest state to our high number is Oregon at 699%.


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With prices like this, the American dream of owning your own home and raising a family is looking less like a dream, and more of a fevered hallucination.

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