This browser does not support the Video element.
Work underway in Flagstaff to build starter homes
The average home cost in Flagstaff is higher than the national average, but two groups are teaming up to help build more affordable homes. FOX 10's Desiree Fluellen reports.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The average home cost in Flagstaff is 86% higher than the national average, but a new partnership is looking to help with the affordable housing problem.
What we know:
In a partnership between Habitat For Humanity and Vintage Partners, the two organizations are building 40 starter homes for low-income families at a master-planned community.
"It’s been an amazing process of watching people say we believe in affordable housing, and we are going to do what we need to do to make it happen," said Walter Crutchfield with Vintage Partners.
By the numbers:
Priced at just $100,000 with a 0% loan, each home has up to three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
With the median home price in Flagstaff at over $700,000, these new, affordable houses are helping tackle the city's growing housing crisis.
"What’s happening in Flagstaff is families that have been there for generations, the latest generation can’t afford to live, and they move, and we’re losing our young people, we’re losing families," said Crutchfield.
Homeowners putting down $1,000 will build equity on a monthly basis, receiving their entire investment back in ten years.
"That’s what this is about," said Crutchfield. "They’re not just itinerants moving all over for the next house. There’s a whole group of people that just want the opportunity to buy a home and be able to generate some equity."
Dig deeper:
In June, over 150 volunteers from Blitz Home Builders arrived to start the project with a mission: building 10 homes in 10 days. The majority of the volunteers were retired construction professionals in their 60s and 70s.
"So at a point in time, when they could’ve been enjoying their retirement, collecting seashells on a beach, they’re swinging a hammer and making a huge difference in the community of Flagstaff," said Crutchfield.