Dear SCCAR members,
We hear you. Our association is driven by the desire to serve our members and help protect the real estate industry at the local level. Hearing about the struggles you face out in the field is important to our work – especially our work in government affairs. As the voice for real estate in Snohomish County, we want to make sure that you all are being adequately served and supported.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk at board meetings and government affairs committee meetings about the recording process and how much of a struggle it is to close on time. After this was brought up by our VP of Government Affairs (Glenda Krull) at the last government affairs meeting on September 11th, I reached out to the Snohomish County Auditor and Treasurer offices to see if Auditor (Garth Fell) and Treasurer (Brian Sullivan) would be able to meet with us and talk about the recording process. They responded quickly and confirmed that they would love to meet with our committee at our next meeting.
Fast-forward to our October GA committee meeting. Both Sullivan and Fell arrived early to the meeting and immediately began talking with our committee members and staff about the intersection of real estate sales and the work that they do at the county. After the meeting was called to order, Committee Chair Glenda Krull turned the meeting over to them and allowed both Fell and Sullivan to explain the function of their respective offices in relation to the closing process.
This began a back-and-forth dialogue wherein our REALTOR® members were able to ask questions about the challenges facing real estate and the issues being tackled at the county.
During the meeting, County Treasurer Sullivan apologized for his office’s shortcomings. He gave the committee a list of steps that they were currently taking to address the issue including hiring new staff members, upgrading software, authorizing staff overtime, and other administrative changes. Treasurer Sullivan confirmed that the County will be moving towards implementing a new closing cut-off of 3 o’clock PM starting in January 2025 and assured the committee that the changes he is implementing in the department will secure real results and consistency in the closing process.
The meeting with Auditor Fell and Treasurer Sullivan included many more discussions about the real estate sales process and the role that Snohomish County plays in the sales process. Both Fell and Sullivan both affirmed their strong desire to maintain a good relationship with SCCAR and REALTORS® across Snohomish County.
The work being done at SCCAR is work that affects REALTORS® like you. Without the support of our members, we would not be the voice of real estate in Snohomish County.
Best regards,
Mat Johnson
Director of Government and Public Affairs
