‘Where’s the real harm?’: Spike debates whether Issaquah real estate agent should be fined $2M for cutting down trees

An Issaquah real estate agent allegedly decided to add a little value to his mansion by cutting, stripping, and topping more than 100 trees outside the home. King County fined him around $2 million in damages, despite his claim that the trees were a safety hazard for his children.

Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, role-played as the judge and jury for what kind of penalty this action necessitated.

“I’d be more inclined to over-penalize this guy as a deterrent to future real estate agents, because it takes a long time to regrow a forest, and people could start lopping trees down if they knew they could afford the penalty,” Spike said. “I’d want to disincentivize future real estate agents from the idea of even cutting trees down. I’d lean into the big number, probably closer to $4 million. This guy’s gonna sell his property. He’s probably not going to lose money, but he won’t make any money doing this.”

“I would say $1 million for a penalty. Just a nice, clean number,” Jake countered. “It sends a message. He has to write a giant check, and then I would have him do some public service where he has to go around and plant some trees. Just plant trees and a million bucks.”

Issaquah property’s value rose from $5M to $6.5M after trees were removed

In total, the Issaquah real estate agent stripped 72 trees, topped 18, and cut down 45. In 2023, before construction on the house was finished, he said he would accept an off-market offer of $5 million. By 2026, that number has since risen to $6.5 million with the improved view.

Jake and Spike questioned whether the tree cutting actually added $1.5 million in property value, or if that was simply due to a change in the housing market over those three years.

“The question becomes, did this real estate agent who’s selling a home understand the increased value by taking these trees, now factor in the penalties he would pay?” Spike asked.

“He seems to understand it. I would also say this 2023 and 2026 are two very different times,” Jake responded. “When you think about what a house is worth now versus what it was worth in 2023, there’s only so many mansions out there.”

“The county said they may be pursuing criminal charges, not just a monetary civil penalty. Because if you’re gonna be able to sell a house for $6.5 million because it’s got a better view, you pay the fines, it’s a wash. Where’s the real harm to this guy?” Spike replied. “I know it’s a lot of money, but it’s less money than he probably could have marketed it for without that view. You’ve got to disincentivize people so they don’t start lopping trees off and pay whatever it costs to do that to improve their view and their property values.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.