How some Nevada voters see the affordable housing crisis

Las Vegas — For astir a twelvemonth now, 32-year-old renter Mason Cunha and his realtor person been struggling to find nan correct location successful Las Vegas astatine nan correct price.

What's keeping Cunha from purchasing a home?

"It conscionable doesn't really make consciousness correct now to bargain a location pinch nan liking rates wherever they are, and pinch nan inventory what it is," Cunha said.

Vice President Kamala Harris has said that if she wins nan wide predetermination successful November, she plans to activity pinch nan backstage assemblage to build 3 cardinal caller homes and rental units.

Cunha, a Harris supporter, is successful favour of nan proposal.

"I deliberation it's going to decidedly help, if you were to double aliases triple aliases quadruple nan inventory," Cunha said.

Harris is besides proposing outlawing value fixing by firm landlords and giving first-time homebuyers who person paid their rent connected clip for 2 years pinch up to $25,000 successful down costs assistance.

"I would want to reappraisal what nan qualifications are for that," said 32-year-old Andrew Lum of Las Vegas, a wedding DJ and joined father. "Where is that $25,000 coming from?"

Lum sold his location erstwhile his family expanded. He now rents a bigger location but he can't spend to buy. Lum says his life was amended erstwhile erstwhile President Donald Trump was successful office.

"In 2020 we were capable to bargain a home," Lum said. "We were capable to bargain it astatine an liking complaint that was possible. We were capable to bargain it with, you know, minimal down payments."

Trump's scheme involves reducing mortgage rates by slashing inflation. Trump has besides said he would unfastened constricted portions of national lands to let for caller location construction, a scheme nan Biden management is already enacting. As an example, 1 specified 20-acre crippled successful Las Vegas was precocious transferred from nan national authorities to Clark County, and now it has been designated for affordable housing.

According to nan Congressional Research Service, 80.1% of nan onshore successful Nevada is owned by nan national government.

Trump has besides said that that his promised mass deportations will make much lodging available. It is an statement that some Lum and Cunha don't look to work together with.

"It conscionable seems a small farfetched to maine that each nan houses are being purchased by immigrants," Lum said.
 
"I deliberation everything that Trump says has to beryllium taken pinch a really fierce atom of brackish because he is known to inflate nan truth," Cunha said.  

In:
• Mortgage Rates
• Nevada
• Affordable Housing
• Housing Crisis
• 2024 Elections