(upbeat electronic music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.

(electronic music) When Carol Porter filed for bankruptcy in 2015, she didn't expect to lose her Issaquah home in the process.

That's because for more than a century, Washington law has included language to protect people's homes from being sold to pay off their debts.

But, the law hasn't kept up with rising home prices.

As a result, only $125,000 of Porter's home equity was off limits from her creditors, an amount far shy of what the property was worth.

A new law will protect a much larger amount, up to the county's median sale price, based on homes sold the previous year.

The median home price in King County at the end of 2020 was $747,000.

Statewide, it was more than $460,000.

"I'm glad it passed," says Porter.

"I'm sure lots of people have experienced the same thing."

I'm Starla Sampaco.

Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.

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