ROANOKE, Va. – The who’s who of housing in the Roanoke Valley gathered Thursday ahead of what they expect to be a busy summer for home buying and building.
During the Roanoke Regional Housing Network’s housing symposium, speakers predicted a more normal feel to the housing market this summer as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Some of the drivers of affordable housing in the next five years, they say, are racial equity, housing resilience, millennial versus senior buying trends and financing; however, there are some hurdles they still have to jump through.
“It’s a lack of labor, a lack of lending to housing providers and land developers; it’s an issue with lumber and materials; it’s an issue with lots and not having the availability; and laws and regulatory burdens,” Dr. Robert Dietz, Chief Economist, National Association of Home Builders.