Bellevue tops most-expensive markets in Washington
Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC released its 2016 Home Listing Report (HLR), which ranks the affordability of 51 real estate markets in Washington State. The Coldwell Banker®Home Listing Report named Bellevue the most expensive market, with an average listing price of $1,078,976, while Spokane ranked as the most affordable market in the state, with an average listing price of $235,150.
The annual report is the most extensive home price comparison tool currently available in the United States, ranking the average listing price of four-bedroom, two bathroom homes in more than 2,000 markets. While other affordability reports provide average or median prices for all homes in a given area, the Coldwell BankerHome Listing Report analyzes more than 50,000 four-bedroom, two-bathroom home listings to better address how much a home in one market would cost if the same home were located somewhere else in the country.
“It’s not surprising that Bellevue leads the state in average home listing price,” said Thadine Bak, Principal Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Bain – Bellevue. “We can attribute this benchmark to our strong jobs sector. Major employers – including more than 45 corporate headquarters and 75 international businesses – are attracted to Bellevue because it is a great place to live, learn, play and work. Bellevue combines a suburban lifestyle (good schools) with an urban feel. High-rise living, walkability, vibrant shopping/restaurants and soon-to-be light rail have made our city a destination for GenX-ers and Millennials. Bellevue’s schools are highly regarded (all five of the city’s high schools were ranked in the top 15% in the U.S.), drawing both foreign buyers and Seattle families alike.”
The top ten most expensive markets were Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Chelan, Sammamish, Issaquah, Seattle, Woodinville, Edmonds and Bellingham. The most affordable were Spokane, Colbert, Yakima, Cathlamet, Spanaway, Moses Lake, Pasco, Longview, Spokane Valley and Clarkston.
Premera Blue Cross looks to deliver behavioral healthcare
Premera Blue Cross, the largest health plan in the Pacific Northwest, and Quartet, a technology company making behavioral healthcare more accessible and integrated into primary care, announced today a collaboration that will improve the quality of care for Premera members with behavioral healthcare needs in Washington.
Quartet equips primary care providers with a host of behavioral health resources to connect their patients to behavioral care, including a network of local providers and live consults with behavioral health specialists. Quartet’s platform also connects providers and members to tech-enabled behavioral health support, including telepsychiatry and online cognitive behavioral therapy. Through its partnership with Quartet, Premera Blue Cross expects to improve access to appropriate care for its members living with anxiety, depression, addiction, and other mental health conditions.
It will be active in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and north Seattle.
Each year, between $26.3 billion and $48.3 billion could be cut from the total cost of health care in the United States by effectively integrating medical and behavioral health services, according to a 2014 study by New York City-based consultancy Milliman Inc., which was commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association.
The integration of care is particularly critical for individuals experiencing both mental and physical health issues who tend to receive fragmented care, which considerably increases healthcare costs. This partnership will improve patient health outcomes and increase cost savings.
“The Premera team understands the value of integrating behavioral health into the primary care setting, and the importance of behavioral healthcare to the overall health and well-being of its members,” said Arun Gupta, founder and CEO of Quartet. “We are excited to partner with such a market-leading innovator to bring Quartet’s services to the state of Washington.”
Pacific Regent prepares for Great American Shakeout
The Disaster Response Group at Pacific Regent is preparing and the entire community will participate in the world’s largest earthquake drill on Oct. 20. Millions of people worldwide will practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” at 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 20 during Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills.
Pacific Regent resident Stuart Hood, head of his community’s safety committee, is spearheading his entire building’s participation in the event. Hood was honored in August by the Bellevue Fire Department for his outstanding education and outreach efforts.
Last year over one million people in Washington participated in the Great Shakeout. There were only seven retirement communities. Pacific Regent was the only one in Bellevue.
As of Oct. 4, with 16 days to go, 11 retirement communities in Washington are signed up, seven in King County with two in Bellevue.
Pacific Regent’s Disaster Response Group members will gather ahead of time to review procedures. Information bulletins will be sent to all residents. The Office of Emergency Management is planning to send some observers. Questionnaires were sent to all Pacific Regent residents and searchers requesting feedback about the last practice drill.
Such feedback will be used to improve the next drill.
“There is no doubt that drills like this make Pacific Regent a safer place to live,” said Bob Wright, Executive Director of the Bellevue senior living community located at 919 109th Ave NE. “We are thrilled that all of our residents and associates support this worldwide effort, and especially grateful for Mr. Hood’s leadership.”
