Realtors, leaders work for affordable housing
Florida is facing a daunting housing affordability crisis. This complex issue isn’t new, but the pandemic, a growing population and other economic factors have put increasing pressure on housing for many Floridians.
For the past 30 years, Florida Realtors has been the strongest advocate for affordable housing in the state — that hasn’t changed. In fact, Realtors across Florida are continuing to push to find solutions that can help people now, when action is most needed.
The Sentinel’s recent editorial (“Florida Realtors sold us a bill of goods on their affordable housing initiative,” Sept. 17) criticizing Florida Realtors for deciding to work in partnership with lawmakers to develop immediate solutions to this crisis fails to recognize the benefits to a collaborative approach.
The ballot initiative we launched in June realistically had a three- to four-year timeline for implementation. Yet interest rates today remain historically low. While the majority of workers like teachers, emergency responders and nurses earn enough to afford a monthly payment, they often aren’t able to save for the down payment needed to qualify for a competitive mortgage.
Working with lawmakers to create a new program for down-payment assistance and closing costs for these hometown heroes at a time where the affordability crisis is at an all-time high — and there are low interest rates available — is critical for the individuals who put themselves on the frontlines in our communities in service of others.
This new program would be in addition to — not instead of — the hundreds of millions of dollars already allocated for existing housing programs that serve low-income and vulnerable Floridians.
With legislative committee meetings beginning this week in advance of the upcoming 2022 session, we are essentially at the starting line. Nothing has been decided. Options remain to be explored and the possibilities are positive and hopeful.
The 200,000-plus members of Florida Realtors across the state are out in their communities, seeing the depth of the affordable housing crisis and working every day to help families get the assistance they need to find a home, including the heroes who carried us through this pandemic.
Our ballot initiative highlighted the strong support of Floridians for immediate housing relief. It helped raise the profile of this issue to the point where there is now agreement that solutions must be put in place, sooner rather than later. In short, it brought everyone to the table. And thanks to this new agreement to push for legislative solutions, hard-working Floridians will soon get the help they need.
At a time when even more Floridians are falling further out of reach for home ownership every day, speedy solutions matter. It’s easy to criticize, but harder to reach out a hand to say, “let’s work together to make it happen.” As the “voice for real estate in Florida,” that’s what Realtors are doing.