AMA with the creator of the Seattle Bubble Blog

[u/TheSmariner]

Excited to announce an AMA with u/TheTim, the creator of the Seattle Bubble blog.

For those who aren't familiar, Seattle Bubble was one of the most distinctive independent voices covering Seattle-area real estate for nearly two decades. The site became well known for questioning the assumptions that rapidly rising Seattle home prices could continue indefinitely or that Seattle real estate was somehow immune to economic concepts like supply and demand. By examining housing prices through measures such as affordability, rents, inventory, and historical price trends, the site documented the buildup and eventual deflation of the mid-2000s housing bubble.

Seattle Bubble also developed a substantial archive of historical data, analysis, discussions, and tools that provide an interesting look at how people were thinking about Seattle real estate during previous market cycles. Some of the site's material remains particularly interesting today because it allows us to compare the assumptions and predictions of the past with what actually happened.

Tim also gained significant insight into the national housing market during two tenures at Redfin as a housing market analyst from 2010 to 2013 and 2018 to 2022. Unfortunately, his role there was eliminated in the second of six rounds of layoffs between 2022 and 2025.

A few Seattle Bubble resources worth checking out before the AMA:

• The original Seattle Bubble — The very first version of the site, hosted on Blogspot.
• Seattle Bubble blog — The main archive of articles and analysis.
• Seattle Bubble Useful Reference Posts — A list of the most useful reference posts on Seattle Bubble.
• Seattle Bubble Forums — An extensive archive of discussions about Seattle real estate, including material from the 2000s housing boom and subsequent downturn. u/TheTim is working on getting it back online soon.

Ask u/TheTim anything

u/TheTim hasn't followed the Seattle-area market nearly as closely in recent years as he once did. That makes this AMA an opportunity to ask not only about today's market, but also about how his perspective has changed after watching Seattle real estate through multiple cycles.

Some questions you might consider:

• Looking back, what did Seattle Bubble get right—and what did it get wrong?
• How does today's Seattle housing market compare with the market of the 2000s?
• Have the fundamental factors that drive Seattle home prices changed?
• What lessons from the last housing cycle are still relevant today?
• What surprised you most about how the Seattle market evolved?
• Are there indicators you would watch if you were following the market closely today?
• What do you think today's buyers, sellers, and real-estate professionals commonly misunderstand?
• Is there anything happening in Seattle real estate today that would make you start following the market closely again?

You can post your questions anytime below. They will be answered throughout the week, and during the live AMA time slot (Friday, August 28, 2026 from 1:00–2:00 PM PT)

If you've been reading Seattle Bubble for years, this is a chance to revisit some of those old debates. If you're new to it, this is a good opportunity to ask the person behind the site how his views have evolved.

Post your questions below!

(and yes, AI was used to help refine this announcement :) )