u/m2mcgee

Franklin County moving trends are even more local than Benton County's.

This is part two of the data I shared last week showing where Benton County move to and from, based on IRS tax return filing data for the 2022 to 2023 time period.

Whereas King County was #3 on both of Benton's to/from charts, the top four counties on Franklin's to and from charts are all local. It's not until the bottom of the charts that you find a more distant county -- King is 5th for sending people to Franklin County, while Spokane is 5th for where people move from Franklin County.

Inbound to Franklin County

Based on IRS tax returns, 5,220 people moved to Franklin County between 2022 and 2023 -- 75.6% of them moved from within Washington. Here are the top 5 counties that sent people to Franklin:

1. Benton County - 2,583
2. Yakima - 216
3. Grant - 186
4. Walla Walla - 171
5. King - 133

Outbound from Franklin County

Again via the IRS data, 5,349 people moved away from Franklin County from 2022 to 2023 -- 74.6% of them stayed within Washington state. Here are the top 5 outbound county destinations:

1. Benton - 2,895
2. Grant - 162
3. Walla Walla - 159
4. Yakima - 146
5. Spokane - 100

What stands out to you on this one?

Saw this slide at a real estate conference that Cari and I went to earlier this month.

I suppose it's obvious that your price has go down if your home's not still, but still interesting to see data behind/supporting that.

The majority of moves into and out of Benton County are from the counties that immediately surround us.

This is based on IRS data that comes out every year showing how many federal tax returns are filed on a county-by-county basis. It's not 100% perfect (no data are), but it gives a solid look at migration. Maybe the biggest issue with relying on IRS data for this is that they're several years behind -- the most recent data compares 2022 and 2023.

Anyway, those charts show migration into and out of Benton County looks like based on IRS data.

Inbound to Benton County

In that time period, 11,051 people moved to Benton County -- 61% of them moved here from within Washington state. Top five counties sending people TO Benton:

1. Franklin
2. Yakima
3. King
4. Grant
5. Walla Walla

Outbound from Benton County

9,981 people moved out of Benton County between 2022 and 2023 -- 57% of them stayed in Washington.

Top five county destinations for Benton County residents who left:

1. Franklin
2. Yakima
3. King
4. Spokane
5. Umatilla

What stands out to you?

(I still need to dig into the IRS data and do the Franklin County version of this, but obviously Benton will be #1 on both of its charts. I'm guessing it'll be pretty similar overall.)

Cari has eight homes ready for new owners right now across the Tri-Cities -- K/P/R/West. Prices range from $333,000 to $810,000. Here's a snapshot of each one, with a link to see all the photos on our website (no registration required).

4207 Road 108, Pasco - summer doesn't get much better than having your own backyard pool, basketball court, and an updated home on almost a half-acre in West Pasco. Finished swimming? Head to the movie room, or retreat to the primary suite -- with a recently remodeled bathroom --that's fit for royalty. (MLS #294129)

528 Athens Dr., West Richland - elevated living in West Richland with 5 bedrooms, a gourmet chef's kitchen, and...get this...a movie room that comes with an 85-inch TV already installed, plus surround sound and LED lighting. (MLS #294929)

4605 S. Olson St., Kennewick - enjoy the golf course lifestyle at The Heights at Canyon Lakes, but without paying that "on the course" premium. You'll also love the breathtaking views that extend to the Columbia River and beyond. (MLS #294022)

611 Hunter St., Richland - perfect for the buyer who wants S P A C E to spread out, with oversized bedrooms, extra storage, and one bathroom remodeled with ADA-compliance in mind. And did we mention the fruits and veggies in the back garden? (MLS #295083)

2522 Brodie Lane, Richland - a modern, better-than-new showpiece home built in 2022 in Richland's Badger South neighborhood. Stunning fireplace in the great room, and upscale touches throughout the home. (MLS #292529)

2224 W. 13th Ave., Kennewick - calling all investors! Live in one side of this duplex and have the other side help pay your mortgage. Newer exterior paint, interior updates, clean as a whistle, and an unusually spacious yard for a duplex. (MLS #294569)

4860 Corvina St., Richland - this barely lived-in home is filled with natural light from the large picture window in front, part of the popular Oakville floor plan from New Traditions (that they don't offer anymore!). (MLS #294531)

903 E. 27th Avenue, Kennewick - a move-in ready starter home with lots of upgrades -- new electrical panel, new well, new HVAC system, and 30 feet of new fencing so the yard is completely enclosed. (MLS #294882)

All of these homes are presented by the Cari McGee Real Estate Team at RE/MAX Northwest.

I had a post earlier this week that was pretty popular. On the post itself, it says I have 3.9K views. (first image)

But when I go into Mod Tools > Insights, it says that post only has 490 views. (second image)

Which should I believe? TIA

Cari has eight clients who are ready to sell their homes right now, and the variety really offers something for everyone. Take a look:

1191 Pinto Loop, Richland - an elegant, private, corner lot estate on almost 2/3rds of an acre in Richland's coveted Country Ridge neighborhood.

2522 Brodie Lane, Richland - a modern, better-than-new showpiece home built in 2022 in Richland's Badger South neighborhood.

4605 S. Olson St., Kennewick - this is elevated living in the Heights at Canyon Lakes, with breathtaking views that extend to the Columbia River and beyond.

4207 Road 108, Pasco - summer doesn't get much better than having your own backyard pool, basketball court, and an updated home on almost a half-acre in West Pasco.

4860 Corvina St., Richland - this barely lived-in home is filled with natural light from the large picture window in front, part of the popular Oakville floor plan from New Traditions (that they don't offer anymore!).

2224 W. 13th Avenue, Kennewick - ideal duplex with new exterior paint plus interior updates. Live in one side, rent out the other...or rent both, whatever works best for you!

903 E. 27th Avenue, Kennewick - lots of updates since the seller purchased it, including new electrical panel, new well, new HVAC system, and more. Washer, dryer, and fridge stay making move-in even easier.

528 Athens Drive, West Richland - great views and loads of space (almost 4K sq ft) in this rambler w/basement. Large chef's kitchen, movie room w/an 85-inch TV already installed, washer/dryer included, and more.

We have lots more info at each of those links, and there's no registration required to see all the great photos. If you're not doing boat races or Art in the Park this weekend, have your favorite Realtor schedule a showing.

In my post from a couple days ago, we looked at housing stats for the first half of 2026 vs. first half of 2025.

Overall, Tri-Cities' home prices are only up 1.6% -- but as you may have noticed, and one astute commenter mentioned, Richland home prices are way up this year compared to last. (Kennewick and Pasco, meanwhile, are essentially unchanged.)

I'm hesitant to pinpoint any single factor and say THIS is the reason, because home prices go up and down on a number of factors -- supply, demand, migration, interest rates, etc.

That said, when I did more digging into Richland, this was really interesting: The sale of luxury homes* in Richland has more than doubled so far this year, and those homes are selling for more than $100K.

Thing is -- we're only talking 17 homes ouf of 505 sold in Richland in Q1-Q2. That's only 3% of sales. That alone shouldn't cause the increase I posted two days ago.

But there's a cascading effect, too. When someone local moves into a $1M home, they might be selling their $800K home...and when someone buys that $800K home, they might also be selling their $600K home, etc., etc. Sales at one price level often include a sale at a lower price level.

There's not much else in the data that points to any one thing. It could be Hanford layoffs impacting people who live in Richland more than the rest of the TC's, and some of them decide to sell their higher-value homes and buy something smaller -- or leave the area altogether.

It might be that Richland had more higher-priced single-family homes built, while the other cities had more townhomes or other less expensive properties.

Main thing is what I said above -- it's really hard to pin something down to just one factor.

*I'm defining luxury homes as those sold at $1M and above.

Since we just passed the halfway point of the year, I spent some time over the weekend digging into a January-June comparison between this year and last year.

Green is data that's up compared to last year; red is data that's down.

Tri-Cities overall:

• home sales up 8.7%
• median sales price up 1.6%
• days on market 2 days (7.7%) slower

What stands out to you?

(Reminder: Our "Tri-Cities" includes only Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City, and Burbank -- i.e., the immediate area. Most local agents report data that includes further away towns like Basin City, Connell, Eltopia, Kahlotus, Mesa, and others.)

Did you go over budget last time you bought a home? If so, you're not alone.

A survey of more than 1500 U.S. home buyers in the past two years showed that 77% of them went over budget. And 10% of buyers went at least $80,000 over budget. 😲

As you might expect, younger buyers are more likely to say they spent more than their original budget, while baby boomers were least likely -- 53% said they didn't go over budget.

You've probably heard the phrase, "house poor." This is when someone owns a nice house, but has little money left over for other essentials and priorities. It's one of the risks of going over your budget when you buy.

I know Cari often works with buyers who can afford a certain amount, but they set their budget lower -- as in "we can afford $500K, but we only want to spend $450K." That totally makes sense, we're all trying to be smarter about money and save what we can. But oftentimes they find that the homes in their (lower) budget just aren't a good lifestyle fit, so they technically go "over budget" even if the home remains affordable.

Here's a link to the original survey results. If that link stops working, Cari did a blog post on the data last month that you can find here.

Our clients fell in love with this house when they purchased it in 1993! The pool was in for their three young children to swim in, and there were apricot and pear trees, plus grapevines.

Mrs. Seller was enchanted at the idea of her family swimming, then enjoying fruit as their snacks. The four bedrooms inside, and two bathrooms, upstairs living room, and dining room, and downstairs den space were exactly what her family needed.

Now it's time for another owner to love it like they did. The pool and lawn are separated by a fence with a gate for access back and forth. The deck off the dining area is perfectly positioned to relax, or to keep an eye on lawn games, or pool play. There is a one-car attached garage and a carport for the vehicles.

📍Price and more photos on our website (no registration required): https://www.carimcgee.com/listings/1960-marshall-avenue/

📲Call for more info or to schedule a showing: (509) 392-4705

🏠MLS# 294492

This Richland home is presented by the Cari McGee Real Estate Team at RE/MAX Northwest, with great thanks to Sharon Atchison Staging and Field Frame Media! 💛🖤💛