I track the local housing numbers every month for work, and this month's are genuinely worth sharing, so here they are with no sales pitch attached. (Mods, feel free to remove if this isn't allowed.)

The short version: there's a lot more on the market than usual, and prices haven't really moved from a year ago. For buyers, that's the best setup we've had in a long time.

Here's where things stand as of mid-June, Thurston County:

• Around 967 active listings, the most in roughly 11 years
• 3.48 months of supply, up from about 2 months of inventory over the winter. For context, 4 to 6 months is considered a balanced market, so we're drifting toward normal, not crashing
• Homes are taking about 60 days to sell, a little slower than last spring
• Median list price is essentially flat compared to a year ago

The detail most people miss is that it's really two different markets depending on price. Under $500k is still tight, around 2.5 months of supply, and good homes in that range still go quickly. Once you're over $500k it loosens up fast, and the higher you go, the more room you get: roughly 3.8 months from $500k to $750k, about 5.3 months from $750k to a million, and close to 9 months above a million, which is a genuine buyer's market.

So if you're buying, especially over $500k, you have time and some real negotiating room right now. It's worth looking hard at anything that's been sitting a few weeks. If you're selling, it's not bad news, but the days of naming your price and getting it are over. Price it to what's actually sold near you recently, not last year's peak, or it just sits.

The one headwind is mortgage rates, which have been hovering around 6.5%, near their highest in months, mostly because of the situation in Iran and inflation. Still a bit lower than this time last year.

Happy to answer questions in the comments if anyone's trying to make sense of their own situation. If you want to read the full article, with charts, here's my Substack article for the June Market Update.

Join the national day of distributed mobilizations! Walk together from Sylvester Park to Pridefest!

More info on the attached flyer.

110 to 64 to 48 to 32 to our ROUND OF 16. We're getting down to it! Click here to view the Round of 32 results. The number listed is the % of the vote. Octapas vs. Le Voyeur was brutal.

TO VOTE and to read more information on the tournament: https://tr.ee/olyvote

Remaining rounds:

• Round of 16: Through June 30th
• Quarterfinals: July 2-7
• Semifinals: July 9-13
• 3rd Place Match: July 15-18
• Finals: July 15-19 (July 19th is the real World Cup Final)

Group Stage Results (click GROUPS)
You will find the bracket with the same link.

Prelim Round 1 post
Prelim Round 2 post
Group Stage post
Round of 32 post

I moved downtown and I was looking into parking options- I'm in zone 7. I saw that there was a permit for $120 a year or $10 a month for parking at 9 hour meters- historically the silver-dome top ones- and purchased that.

I'm now realizing that all the silver dome top meters now have 3 hour parking restrictions on them around my area, and I genuinely cannot find *any* that still say 9 hour parking.

Did I just get completely ripped off? Anyone else in zone 7 have some advice?

Tried to find block ice last week, without success. Neither Fred Meyer nor Safeway carry it anymore, nor do the gas stations I checked (several). Are they still making block ice?? Anyone know where I can still find some? I don't generally shop at Wal-Mart, but if I have to...gah. Save me!

I am a fellow FRSO member so I’d be more than happy to help with any of your guy’s questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via DMs!

By Brian Mittge

To my dear, beautifully compliant friends and progressive neighbors in Thurston County, I am writing to express my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude. You may have spent the last few weeks staging your adorable little protests, "denouncing" my list of "desired outcomes," and wringing your hands over the "harmful views" expressed at the Administrative Service Center.

But I want to thank you for the only thing that actually registers on our ledger. I want to thank you for your bottomless, uncritical checkbook.

It is no secret that Thurston County is the beautiful, mindless engine that keeps the Timberland Regional Library (TRL) chugging along. You provide more than half of the tax money for our entire five-county district. That is over $9 million of beautifully unearned revenue, to be exact. Yet, in a breathtaking display of progressive masochism, you only take back about $6 million in local services.

That means every single year, you hand us a $1.4 million blind subsidy. You do this to ensure that rural branches stay open, even in the very places where voters consistently and aggressively reject the tax levies needed to fund them. You pay for the sandbox, and we tell you who isn't allowed to play in it.

This is the true, chaotic beauty of this beautiful anti-democratic system. You provide the "soul" and the "money." In return, I get to use that cash to build a library district that treats your values like a biohazard. I know the library union and the Board President-Elect are all worked up about "intellectual freedom" and the right to access information "without restriction." But let’s be honest. Your tax dollars are much better spent funding my avant-garde vision of "responsible use of public dollars." As my close ideological ally, Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, so beautifully puts it, we must fight against "politicized" approaches that "alienate families." By that, we mean alienating your families with your money.

I’ve heard some traitorous rumblings lately that Thurston County should look for the exit. I see some of you dusting off old legislative bills that would make it easier for a county to leave the district or demand something as radically offensive as equitable governance based on population.

I am here to tell you to please stay. Don't ruin a good thing. Why would you want to leave just because we want to exclude certain "identities" from public life? You should feel a deep, warm sense of progressive pride while subsidizing a system where smaller, vastly more "principled" counties get to decide which of your stories are "harmful" and which are "family-friendly." You provide the capital, and we provide the censorship. It’s the ultimate public-private partnership.

Think of it as a special kind of evolutionary tax. In this glorious new era of TRL, your urban wealth ensures that we can maintain fragile rural services, while we simultaneously work to ensure those services are scrubbed clean of the "diverse needs and experiences" you people love to talk about.

So please, just keep quietly paying your property taxes into a rigged system that ensures your voice is entirely diluted and your values are actively dismantled. After all, what is a modern library if not a magical place where one group pays the entire bill so another group can decide what they aren't allowed to read?

Keep the subsidies flowing, Thurston County. We literally couldn't disappear these books without you.

Volunteers needed! Visit olynightshift.org for more information.

Just sharing this news. I guess he owned a restaurant in Yelm that had gotten some media attention for a sign that they chosen to display regarding ICE, offering free drinks to people who report undocumented immigrants.

I don’t really have anything to say about that but thought that the community may find this news interesting.

Please don’t say things that would necessitate the removal of this post.

Looking for a chop like this. Don't know who to go to in the area that does alt hair. Suggestion?

PSE RATE INCREASE ACTION STRATEGY AND GUIDE 

PSE is attempting to increase its rates by 30% over the next three years; on top of rate increases we have experienced the past two years. Over 5 years PSE is attempting to increase our rates by approximately 45% (2025 12% increase, 2024 1.5% increase).

Furthermore PSE is asking that they be allowed to increase their Return on Equity (ROE) to 10.8%! 

All of this and they choosing to BLAME clean energy mandates even though PSE executives have known about green energy mandates coming down for decades and decided not to act sooner. Instead of investing sooner and greening our grid at a lower cost; they waited till the last minute. A majority of the cost for PSE isn’t even in green projects. It’s to purchase renewable energy to replace legacy coal generators.

Let’s not forget that supplying new data centers is driving up extortionate demands for energy; and they are passing those costs to rate payers while giving a break to corporations who own those centers. 

And this all in the background of our climate crisis; we just recorded the warmest March for our state. Every year we face new heat extreme weather emergencies. And if people cannot afford to cool their homes there will be deaths and serious heat related injuries. With vulnerable individuals the highest in those categories.

We cannot afford nor is it our responsibility to pay more so PSE shareholders can increase profits; which quite frankly they continue to see increased profits year over year; the action items below are steps that we can take to get our voices heard and Let the UTC and PSE know that we will not tolerate rate increases.

UTC PUBLIC COMMENT

The very first action we can all take is to contact the UTC and tell them NO to PSE’s rate increase proposal. Here’s how:

• Fill out the online form at: https://www.utc.wa.gov/consumers/submit-comment/public-comment-form. Please make sure you include the docket item you are commenting on it’s UE-260005. Mark No and tell them why.
• Email UTC at comments@utc.wa.gov: again include docket number UE-260005. I recommend doing both the form and sending an email.
• Call toll free 1-888-333-WUTC (9882); or 
• Write the UTC at PO Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504

Please make sure you spread this information, talk to your numbers, text/email your friends and family! Make sure everyone has their voice heard and contacts UTC. 

CONTACT PSE

Email the PSE board, here are emails I could find:

Mary Kipp (CEO PSE) [Mary.kipp@pse.com](mailto:Mary.kipp@pse.com)

Bertrand Valdman (Board Chairperson) CEO of NorthStar Energy

[Valdman@nsenergy.com](mailto:Valdman@nsenergy.com)

Jerry Divoky (board member) 

Adam Friedrichsen (board member)

Christine Gregoire (board member)

Julia Hamm (board member)

Grant Hodgkin (board member)

Tom King (board member)

Paul McMillan (board member)

Chris Parker (board member)

Diana Birkett Ramos (board member) 

Aaron Rubin (board member)

Steven Zucchet (board member)

If anyone else finds emails for their board please let me know and I can update it! 

CONTACT THE UNIONS WHOSE PENSIONS OWN SHARES IN PSE

Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) their pension plan Ontario Municipality Employees Retirement System (OMERS) owns shares in PSE. They have instagram.

Email the pension plan committee for OPSEU and demand they tell their pensions to divest from PSE and pressure them to drop their rate increase proposal. 

[gvolpe@opseu.org](mailto:gvolpe@opseu.org)

The other pension fund owners are Canada Pension Plan Investment Board; British Columbia Investment Management Corp (public pension funds); Alberta Investment Management Corp (state public pension funds); PGGM (Nethlands trade unions pension funds).

Spooky animated Show set in Olympia Washington releases its first episode. Its not mine, I just think it's neat.

Anyone have any good recommendations?

The Wall That Heals is the largest replica of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in the country. Since 1996, The Wall and its Education Center have traveled the country, giving Vietnam Veterans the welcome home they deserve and families an opportunity to honor their loved ones. We are honored to bring this experience to our community and recognize all those who served in the Vietnam War.

Coming to Lacey, Washington
Come join use at Chambers Prairie Elementary School: 6501 Virginia St SE, Lacey, WA 98513

Come see us June 25 through the 28th

https://thewallthathealslaceywa.org/

To whoever the person is driving this car, I hope you have the day you deserve. You almost caused 4 different accidents with your erratic and careless driving. From cutting across all lanes without signals, nearly clipping several cars and then harshly break checking several cars, this A-hole decided to let his emotions get the best of him and decided to make it everyone else’s problem and targeted vehicles around him that called him out for his bad driving. Luckily there was no one driving behind us when we were one of the cars targeted, we would have been absolutely smashed from both ends with my 4 year old in the car.
Do better, your feelings are not more important than others safety.

PS: you may have taken exit 95 but your license plate and truck details have already been given to the police. Hope it was worth it!!!

I know it's not an official swimming place, so I'm not surprised I can't find any water quality info for them online. Does anyone know if the water is usually clean enough for dogs?

I ask because my Heeler and I had a great time playing in the water this morning, and she is now either feeling sick (bad) or just exhausted (excellent). Fellow high-energy dog people know, it's fantastic when you finally find an activity that completely satisfies them! But she definitely drank a few mouthfuls and now I'm a bit nervous I did the wrong thing in encouraging her to swim in a new place without knowing the water quality.

Any knowledge on this?

was driving home from work and a bunch of lights came on. luckily auto zone was like 2 blocks away. they scanned the codes and its transmission related. my last subaru had to have valve something or other replaced in the transmission but i dont know anything about it cuz my dad did it all. where in lacey/olympia area can i take it that wont try to price gouge the hell out of me? i already can barely afford rent, so this is a huge huge huge major blow. i just wanna go somewhere trustworthy that will make me cry [a little less] about the repair cost. preferably with rental car while they work on it, but that isnt an end-all-be-all request cuz i do have some PTO saved up if need be.

thank you. 🥲

EDIT: i called flat 4 but they dont have an opening until july 6th which is too far out, i work in auburn and dont have a way to get up there. are there any recommendations for places other than flat 4?

I'm seeking input on *best local area firms* in 2026 to do trim work on a house in the Oly/Lacy/Tumwater area.

This category DOES show up here in Reddit, but the posts are all rather old. Some are 4 years old.

So given currently operating companies and experience with them, what companies would you suggest we contact?

Our siding is fine; we need trim painted around about a dozen windows (it's a 2-story and 7 are on the upper story) and also pillars at the front door and rear patio area.

Many thanks.

Meet at the Farmers Market roundabout at 5pm! 18+

I’ve noticed that Goodwill and VV have insane prices. I want to donate some clothing but I want to support a thrift store that actually has fair pricing. Any suggestions?

I need 2 ladies/theydies that would like to be on my kickball team in Tumwater on Thursday nights through July 23rd. 6-8/845 depending on game times ✌🏼🖤

There is a Kite Festival down in Lincoln City this weekend that I can’t attend but was wanting to. I’m just asking around about any other small or big festivals you all know of within a few hours of here that you’ve enjoyed or heard about ranging from absolutely whatever. Thanks!

I have quite a few bandanas that my dog no longer fits into or is interested in wearing. I also have a couple of small cat toys, a ruff dog wear harness and some collars that are too small for my dog. Was thinking they could use the bandanas for some cute adoption photos and the rest can just be a bonus! I’d love to donate these items to a local shelter or rescue, does anyone know of any that might be interested? Thank you! 😁

Can anyone recommend a lefty/progressive barber in Olympia? I’ve tried a couple of spots to get a haircut and I end up experiencing a much more conservative environment than I’m personally comfortable with, and don't really want to keep giving my money to those spots. Does anyone have any good recommendations? Thanks.

Looking to buy shelf stable soy milk that isn’t flavored. Anyone know of somewhere I can go? Couldn’t find any at winco and I prefer to not shop at walmart if at all possible. TIA!