Experts predict Spokane housing market will become resilient after going through periods like 9/11 and the 2008 recession.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Real estate agents are predicting Spokane’s housing market will improve as coronavirus restrictions and stay-home orders are lifted.

Restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic created a decline in the housing market, with 50 percent fewer buyers and sellers in April 202 compared to April 2019, according to Tom Clark.

“It’s just a little bit of a compounding problem,” said Clark, the president of the Spokane Realtors’ Association.

He said he’s seen the market recover from periods like 9/11 and the 2008 recession.

“Spokane will stand out,” he said.

He said Spokane is a “big, small city,” attracting buyers who can’t afford to purchase homes in Seattle, but who also want to experience shopping at a mall and having a downtown core.

“If I lived in Los Angeles and I’m looking at getting back in that traffic in about two months, I might think about moving someplace like Spokane and working remotely out of my house,” Clark said.

He said even with Gov. Inslee’s Stay-Home, Stay-Healthy order in place, there hasn’t been a complete freeze.

“We still have a lot more people moving in than we do moving out,” Clark said.

Gov. Inslee signed an order Friday allowing some construction to resume across the state.

Clark said this is a positive sign, especially for Spokane.

“I believe on the east side of the state, we’re in a much better situation from a social distancing standpoint, since there is a much less dense population,” he said.