Maintaining Houston’s Affordability for Working Class Families

Long viewed as a hidden gem largely outside the nation’s spotlight, the city of Houston has been ranked as the best place to live in several different categories by national and international publications over the last five years. Likely due to its new found popularity, and the region’s economic prowess, the Bayou City is becoming a less affordable place to live. Houston has long been renowned for its real estate affordability and good neighborhoods making the city score high on the quality of life index.

However, as the city weathered the recession and continued to create new jobs, the demand of new residents led to a real estate spike, drove up land and rent prices in good neighborhoods and within the urban core. The success of the real estate market and the lack of supply has led to a dearth of affordable real estate options in quality neighborhoods, leaving less desirable neighborhoods as the only places where working class families can find a place they can afford to live.