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http://naturalbuilder.org/afford.html
 POSTED DECEMBER 11, 2003
We Can’t Afford to Live Here
By Kathleen McFadden

Watauga County has a shortage of affordable housing Jerry Moretz told the 
Watauga Board of Commissioners on Monday. Moretz, representing the Watauga 
County Affordable Housing Task Force, presented the results of a housing 
survey conducted in April 2003 with the employees of 14 major Watauga County 
employers. May through September were devoted to tabulation and analysis of 
the results, with the final report delivered in December.
The overall results — based on 1,539 responses out of a total distribution of 
6,010 surveys — provide statistical confirmation of what everybody already 
knows, as the following conclusions from the report show:
• An affordable housing problem does exist in Watauga County.
• This problem impacts both home renters and homeowners and it crosses income 
levels.
• The nexus of wages and housing costs is an issue of concern to many 
respondents.
• The affordable housing problem is complex and consists of many issues that 
are both persistent and beyond the ability of most individuals to address 
without external policy intervention.
Moretz told the commissioners that 82 percent of the survey respondents live 
in Watauga County and that 80 percent of the respondents are homeowners. 
Homeowners identified the top three most important issues affecting their 
choice of housing location as the price of housing, cost of land and 
proximity to the workplace. However, because 80 of the respondents to the 
survey already own their homes, the survey does not provide a focused picture 
of the factors preventing renters from becoming homeowners, a deficiency that 
Commissioner Keith Honeycutt addressed during the discussion period.
Honeycutt said that he would be interested in obtaining a more complete 
statistical picture of the reasons why local renters — excluding the 
university student population — are not purchasing homes in the county. 
“Those are the ones we need to target,” Honeycutt said. Commissioner Allen 
Trivette suggested scheduling a joint meeting between the board of 
commissioners and the task force to more fully discuss the issues and “make 
sure we’re on the same page.” Moretz said he would relay Trivette’s 
suggestion to the other task force members.
Moretz also called the commissioners’ attention to the compilation of 
comments in the report’s appendixes, with multiple respondents pointing out 
that if they had not inherited land and homes or bought their property more 
than a decade ago, they would not be able to afford to live in the county. 
Several comments from respondents who identify themselves as teachers and 
working professionals point out that they rent because they cannot find homes 
that they can afford, even on two incomes.
The comments of one respondent are representative of many similar sentiments 
among homeowners: “I don’t feel this survey adequately addressed the high 
cost housing problem. Yes, we live in Watauga County, but we can only afford 
a very small home because of the cost. For the same money in Ashe or Wilkes, 
we could have a much more adequate home. My husband and I are both 
professionals, but with 3 children, we have to choose a low-end residence.” 
On the renters’ side, this comment is representative of several others: “I 
would prefer to own my home rather than rent. The price of owning in this 
county (Watauga) is too expensive for us at this time. This is sad to say 
since my spouse and I are both working professionals.”
Moretz said that the survey report indicates that the affordable housing 
problem is “a little deeper than we thought,” but admitted that the report 
“does nothing” to address the problem. However, he pointed to the recently 
approved Carefree Properties development that will include a mix of housing 
types (where the prices of condos and “affordable single-family homes” are 
anticipated to range from $120,000 to $200,000) and to the townhomes being 
constructed across from Green Valley School as promising indicators that 
developers are becoming interested in the affordable housing market 
potential. However, Moretz suggested that “it takes a governmental-private 
partnership to make this work.”


The following is the letter that I wrote as a follow-up
Posted December 25, 2003
The article on affordable housing in the December 11th edition pointed out a 
lot of issues that make it difficult for the average person to find housing. 
Some of what was not addressed wouldn't normally be considered as answers to 
the problems that face residents of the High Country. Consider these 
suggestions;

    *
      Build a home only as big as you need. Few people rarely need more than 
1500 square feet!
    *
      Build mortgage free by building only what you can pay for out of normal 
income.
    *
      Build your home a little at a time by building only the space you need 
to live in and then plan to add more space as time and money allow.
    *
      Build naturally (cob, strawbale, cordwood etc.) using the materials 
found on site (clay, rock and timber) and plan to be an owner-builder.

Building alternatively will still incur costs. You will likely need an 
engineer or architect to help with the plans so that a building inspector 
will allow your building to proceed. Other costs are fairly standard 
(electric, plumbing) but even there you have options worth exploring.
Finding affordable housing in the High Country can be difficult. As a caring 
community, we need to start looking for affordable and environmentally 
sustainable options. We cannot wait for the government to provide subsidies 
which may never come. We need to take charge of our own living environments 
and our own well-being.
Phil Hawn
President
The North Carolina Natural Building Coalition