West Virginia working to address housing crisis in the state

GHENT, WV (WVNS)– It’s no secret that much like the rest of the country, West Virginia is facing a housing shortage, especially when it comes to affordable housing.

The current landscape of the housing market in West Virginia is challenging for a few reasons.

Megan Bailey, the president of the Kanawha Valley Board of Realtors, attributed some of those reasons to high interest rates, the inventory shortage, and generally the higher cost of living Americans are facing.

Not only is this an issue for current residents looking to buy a house, but it’s also presenting an issue for people looking to move into West Virginia for the thousands of new industrial jobs opening up here.

Bailey said that luckily, moves are being made to help address the housing issues.

“I do think that the state of West Virginia and local contractors are doing a wonderful job of trying to meet the needs of the economy, the market, and our people that are coming into the state,” said Bailey.

Bailey said some specific help has been the Build West Virginia Act, which offers tax incentives to contractors and builders to encourage more new and affordable housing.

She also added that surveys are being done to pinpoint the locations in the Mountain State that need housing the most, and then finding solutions on how to fix that.

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