baltimoresun.com

September 28, 2009

Video of Brooklyn Green Townhomes

Interested in seeing the video that goes with today's affordable-housing story? Here it is:

 

Posted by Jamie Smith Hopkins at 10:34 AM | | Comments (1)
Categories: Affordable housing, Video
        

Market's tough for affordable housing, too

A recession only increases demand for less-pricey homes and apartments, so affordable-housing builders aren't used to downturns affecting their line of work. But no one nowadays is avoiding the ripple impact of tight credit and tightfisted investors.

"While it always has been challenging to do affordable housing, it's even more so today," said Chickie Grayson, president and chief executive of Enterprise Homes, the building arm of affordable-housing giant Enterprise Community Partners.

You can read about it in my story today, which explains how the credit crunch is decreasing the number of affordable rentals under construction and making it more difficult for groups to sell homes aimed at moderate-income workers.

Who qualifies for partially subsidized affordable housing, assuming there's any to be had? It depends on the program, but some homeownership efforts let you buy if you're making no more than 80 percent of your area's median household income. Around here, that works out to $44,800 for a one-person household, $51,200 for two, $57,600 for three and $64,000 for four.

That's the limit for eight "green" townhomes built by the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay Coalition, which says higher down payment requirements and tougher loan qualification rules have kept interested people from becoming buyers.

Continue reading "Market's tough for affordable housing, too" »

Posted by Jamie Smith Hopkins at 7:00 AM | | Comments (3)
Categories: Affordable housing
        
Keep reading
Recent entries
Archives
Categories
About Jamie Smith Hopkins
Jamie Smith Hopkins, a Baltimore Sun reporter since 1999, writes about the regional economy. Her reporting on the housing market has won national and local awards. Hopkins is a Columbia native and has lived in Maryland all her life, save for 10 months spent covering schools in Ames, Iowa.
She trained to become a wonk by spending large chunks of time as a geek and an insufferable know-it-all.
Baltimore Sun articles by Jamie
Follow @realestatewonk on Twitter
-- ADVERTISEMENT --

Most Recent Comments
Baltimore Sun coverage
Baltimore Sun Real Estate section
Archive: Dream Home
Dream Home takes readers into the houses of area residents who have found their ideal home.
Maryland home sales
Find out where homes are selling in your neighborhood, or search for sales from across the region.

Top-selling property
A look at some of the most expensive homes in the area and where they are located.
Follow the Wonk on Twitter
Stay connected