CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The program has been incredibly successful and embraced by first time home buyers. It's helping fill the housing gap in the Coastal Bend.
"To have your own space, especially with two kids and a wife, you want to have your own space and everything," says Christian Herrera who owns a Thanksgiving home.
It's part of a program that allows low to middle income first time home buyers the chance to own a home at affordable rates. For a first home, Herrera said he's very happy with his purchase.
"It was very affordable," he said. "Of course, I had been saving up before because I knew this time would come but yeah it's very affordable. It worked great."
Herrera said he was told with help from the housing authority, buyers can purchase a three bedroom, two bath house for three-percent down and a monthly payment under $1,000 per month.
The program has exceeded expectations, according to Gary Allsup, the director of the city's housing authority.
"We've been working on this for about three years and we started with the idea of taking these lots that we call in fill lots that are in old neighborhoods and trying to rebuild the neighborhood by putting these homes up," Allsup said.
He added that no taxpayer dollars are being used and they started by building 30 starter homes throughout the city and now are completing their 60th home.
He tells us they have identified an additional number of 25 foot lots where they can build more houses.
"It's a horrible problem to have but they seem to be selling faster than we can offer them for rent," Allsup said.
The program is helping to address a serious shortage of affordable housing that city leaders have been working on for years.
City At-Large council member Mike Pusley says, "I think it's a great program. They take these properties. They build new homes on them and put these properties back on the tax rolls and really get rid of unsightly vacant lots and unsightly builds that are on some of these lots."
The housing authority prices these new homes from $60,000 - $100,000, even though the appraisal value is just over $170,000.
They hope to continue the program as long as the demand is there.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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