Due in part to a consistent lack of supply, home prices ballooned both in NWA and across the country last year. Here are the numbers:

• Market: Over the last year, the average home prices in the country rose 18.4%. In Benton County the average cost of purchasing was up 12.1%, and in Washington County home prices increased by 18.9% as a result of high demand. 
• Expanding: The low supply is exacerbated by demand from the influx of people seeking opportunity in NWA. Though there are not many houses available currently, local cities are constantly Investing and building more affordable housing, inviting even more growth to the region.

For more information, click HERE. 

The City Council of Fayetteville is looking ahead and preparing for the affects of climate change with a trust fund.

• For our neighbors: The fund was encouraged and made possible by the founder of the Fayetteville non-profit OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology and is specifically for the aid of refugees that already have and will experience the affects of climate change. 
• First steps: The founder of OMNI Center gave the city $100k to help agencies who provide refugee resettlement services and to allow them to contribute to the fund as well. The council determined that the fund is an important resource for the coming generations. 

Read the full KNWA story HERE. 

Fayetteville is already in for some updates this year as the downtown square and the trail across Lake Fayetteville dam are both up for improvements. 

• More lights: Due to poor night visibility on the interior of the Fayetteville Square, the City Council approved a plan for an LED-based light system to be installed. The system will provide brightness and color to the square. 
• Better trails: Starting today, the trail across the dam is going to be widened from 12ft to 16ft, and the entire length with will be resurfaced with concrete. Construction will take about 4mos, during which time the detour will add about a mile for those traveling the Razorback Greenway.

For more about the lights and trail click HERE and HERE.

The rumors of an Amazon warehouse in Northwest Arkansas are confirmed to be true. The e-commerce giant is setting up shop in Lowell, a couple blocks east of J.B. Hunt. 

• Shipping: The location at 315B S. Lincoln St. will be a 100k sq/ft warehouse on a 24.7 acre property and is likely to be a “last mile” delivery center. The property will accommodate and provide parking for hundreds of delivery vehicles only 12 miles from Walmart’s HQ. 
• Expanse: Amazon is spreading its facilities throughout the country so as to provide the quickest deliveries to its customers. This facility will be Amazon’s first in Arkansas outside the Little Rock area, meaning that another big company has deemed NWA worth investing in.

Read more HERE. 

Are you a startup fanatic, looking to help them succeed? Well, Northwest Arkansas has a new platform for people to invest in startups and small businesses. 

• Community resource: Wefunder is part of a new industry: investment crowdfunding, and is the largest platform so far. It is a “new kind of stock market” where people can put money into building the future of business. 
• Investing here: The company recognized the heartland as an overlooked area in the nation, and chose NWA as its central location to encourage and facilitate access to capital for the flourishing community. Individuals and businesses can raise millions of dollars through the Wefunder platform.

Read the Talk Business & Politics story HERE.