Meet Adam Rynd, Entrepreneur and Owner and Designated Broker at Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate

North Central Washington’s real estate market continues to evolve under the pressure of rising costs, shifting policy, and changing buyer behavior, all while demand for housing remains strong across key segments. Against that backdrop, Adam Rynd, entrepreneur and owner and designated broker at Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate, has built a portfolio of businesses rooted in the region and shaped by its opportunities and challenges.

A fourth-generation Washington native, Rynd has invested heavily in Wenatchee and surrounding communities, expanding into real estate and retail ventures while also navigating the complexities of development, regulation, and workforce housing shortages. He is also a vocal advocate for clearer permitting processes, greater housing supply, and policies that support long-term investment in smaller communities.

In this Executive Q&A with the Wenatchee Business Journal, Rynd discusses the state of the regional housing market, the challenges facing developers and business owners, and why he believes the future of North Central Washington depends on aligning growth with predictable policy and sustained investment.

What first drew you to this region, and what has kept you committed to investing here?

What originally drew me to North Central Washington was simple: it felt like the best of both worlds. You can build a meaningful career and raise a family in a place that still offers space, recreation, and a better day-to-day lifestyle. For my wife and me, this region wasn’t just a business decision — it was a decision about where we wanted to live, where we wanted our kids to grow up, and where we wanted to spend our time.

What’s kept me committed is the long-term potential of the region and the quality of life it can offer when we protect what makes it special. These are close-knit communities where relationships matter and where you can still see the direct impact of your work on employees, customers, neighborhoods, and local nonprofits. I’ve invested here because I believe in the people, the places, and the future. If you’re going to build businesses that last, you should do it in a community you’re proud to call home.

How would you describe the current state of the real estate market in North Central Washington?

North Central Washington is a tale of two markets right now.

Demand for entry-level and mid-priced homes remains very strong. Buyers in that segment are still competing for quality inventory, and the core fundamentals with jobs, lifestyle appeal, and long-term demand remain solid.

But the vacation home market has been extremely weak, and a big driver has been policy uncertainty. In Chelan County specifically, overly-complex vacation rental regulations have gutted confidence in the second-home and vacation-rental segment. We’ve gone from a market where people could underwrite the use and income of a property to one where there’s no reliable pathway to certainty, and that changes buyer behavior. 

More recently, Washington State’s passage of a new income tax for high earners has had a chilling effect. We’re already seeing wealthy clients looking to sell, and many buyers are holding back. These decisions are starting to drive away second-home owners and tourists and that’s a problem because their spending is fundamental to supporting our local economy.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing developers and business owners in the region?

The biggest challenges are cost, certainty, and capacity.

Construction costs remain high, interest rates have reduced affordability, and projects are harder to finance. Unwise federal decisions have pushed borrowing costs too high, and even well-qualified buyers are getting priced out of quality homes simply because the monthly payment is too expensive.

Locally, a major issue is process and predictability, especially in Chelan County. We need meaningful reform in the County’s Community Development department so it becomes a partner in solving the housing shortage instead of a bottleneck. If we want housing to become more affordable, we need more housing units of all types and at all price points. The core problem is supply: we don’t have enough homes for our population.

When buyers can’t find what they actually want, they’re forced to buy down, which means they purchase a home below their budget simply because they can’t find what they want. That pushes higher-budget buyers into the more affordable housing stock and makes it even harder for first-time and workforce buyers to compete.

Bottom line: we need more homes, and we need lower borrowing costs so working families can afford quality housing again.

What do you look for when deciding where to invest your time and capital?

I look for a predictable business environment, clear demand from the community, and a path to long-term stability.

We want to invest where people genuinely need what we’re offering. But just as important is whether the local government environment is consistent and supportive of business. I’m always more willing to invest when agencies actually want to work with businesses to find solutions rather than creating unnecessary hurdles. I spend about an hour of every day just dealing with regulations and 18 different agencies (local, regional, state, federal) to run our businesses.

One example: I had a plan to renovate my Wenatchee real estate office in 2024. Permitting turned into a long, expensive process over 18 months that included repeated design changes and added costs to comply with requirements that were difficult to apply.

In contrast, we remodeled our Goldendale real estate office in 2024 and the entire project took two weeks. I walked into City Hall with no appointment, met the Planning Director, filled out the permit, and walked out with approval in minutes. When we were ready for final inspection, the inspector showed up 10 minutes later.

My wife and I have decided not to open any new businesses in Washington State, and we’re deciding whether to do partial winter closures of our retail stores next year due to declining tourist traffic. We’re also beginning to plan expansion to Idaho because the business environment is more predictable and more favorable. Last year we cancelled plans to open 4–6 new stores in Washington due to tariff chaos and Washington’s increasing labor costs.

As a fourth-generation Washington native, I still love this state, but I increasingly don’t feel like Washington wants our businesses here.

What lessons have you learned from building businesses in smaller, close-knit communities?

In smaller communities, reputation is everything. People remember how you treat customers, employees, and partners and your track record follows you. That’s a good thing if you operate with consistency and integrity, because trust becomes a real competitive advantage.

I’ve also learned that being successful locally comes with a responsibility to give back. Across our companies, we donate about 1% of our annual revenue to community nonprofits, and we also contribute significant in-kind support, including brokering real estate transactions without commission for certain community needs.

In your view, how does real estate development contribute to the broader economic health of North Central Washington?

Real estate development is one of the most direct economic engines we have, especially home construction and renovations.

When you build or remodel homes, you’re not just creating housing. You’re creating jobs for local trades, contractors, suppliers, and service providers. You’re supporting everything from excavators and electricians to lumber yards, landscapers, cleaning crews, appliance companies, and local retailers. Those dollars circulate locally, and that matters in a regional economy.

Housing also supports employers. If a community can’t provide enough housing at enough price points, businesses struggle to hire and keep talent, which limits growth across healthcare, schools, hospitality, and retail.

Renovation work is equally important because it revitalizes neighborhoods, improves safety and energy efficiency, extends the useful life of existing housing stock, and strengthens the tax base without always requiring major new infrastructure.

Done thoughtfully, development raises the standard of living, supports local jobs, and helps keep communities economically healthy over the long term.

What trends are you watching most closely?

I’m watching five things closely:

1) Interest rates and borrowing costs, which directly control affordability for both buyers and builders.

2) Construction costs and supply chains, because pricing is still volatile, and that uncertainty affects everything from mortgage underwriting to closing timelines.

3) Workforce housing availability, which is one of our biggest long-term issues. If we can’t house our workforce, every sector suffers.

4) Tourism patterns, especially shoulder-season demand, because Chelan County is heavily reliant on tourism spending, and we’ve seen declines in non-summer traffic. The vacation rental ecosystem matters because visitors drive spending across food, retail, recreation, and services.

5) Government policy and regulatory decisions at all levels, including city, county, state, and federal. More than ever, I track regulations and policy signals because they directly shape consumer behavior and business viability. This fall, we’re making decisions about whether we will close some retail stores for weeks or months because winter traffic is so low and year-round resident demand isn’t strong enough to justify staying open.

Policy decisions have consequences, and right now they’re influencing whether investment expands, pauses, or leaves the state entirely.

What has been your most rewarding project so far, and why?

One of the most rewarding projects for my wife and I has been bringing Woody’s Classic Man into the old Mills Bros. Building in downtown Wenatchee. The Mills family ran a successful men’s store in the building they own for more than a century. Reviving that tradition wasn’t just about opening another retail store. We wanted to honor part of Wenatchee’s identity and bring new life to something that mattered to people. It’s great to hear stories from customers who describe shopping there with their father or grandfather.

I remain optimistic about North Central Washington. The fundamentals that brought my family here, including the quality of life, natural beauty, and strong communities, are still intact. Looking ahead, I think the biggest opportunity is alignment. If we can continue to balance growth with thoughtful planning, support housing at all levels, and maintain a business environment that encourages investment, this region has a very strong future.