In the meeting on August 27, 2007 at Trinity, it became clear
that we do not need to address the purchase of affordable housing;
purchasing is not the goal of the majority of locals who need
assistance.
When you consider that if they buy affordable housing and there is
a limit on the amount of money they can make when they go to re-sell
the property, then the Town has taken away the main reason for
anyone to own.

The Grand Lake area needs affordable rentals. Rental opportunities
abound. Our office, Mountain Lake Properties, keeps track in the
computer as a favor to prospective tenants and landlords, at no
charge to either. We currently have twelve available properties on
a list, ranging from $500 per month for a small cabin to $1,500
per month for a 3000 square foot home. In most cases, tenants
are asked to pay for heat and electricity over and above the rent.

At all times, we also have a wide selection of affordable homes
to buy, in case anyone might be interested in purchasing a property
on which they will be permitted to make a profit when they go to sell
it.
Today, these range from a two bedroom on 4/10 of an acre with three
outbuildings priced at $159,000. to several three bedroom homes with
garages (and one with a retail shop where they could run a business)
for $269,900. Attainable housing is already here for those with the
need,
the desire and the ability to take advantage of it. People who work
in
and near the Town of Grand Lake should benefit from subsidized rents
here, not those working in other towns in Grand County.

There are probably a variety of reasons why some individuals have not
already purchased a home. Maybe they fear that they may not continue
to be employed on an ongoing basis as  result of our seasonal
economy,
their employer's continued need for them in the future, etc. Or they
may
be aware that their past credit history may preclude them from
purchasing.
Some may be unsure that they will be able to continue to reside in
our
area on a long-term basis as a result of employment circumstances and
consequently do not wish to become tied to a property purchase and
mortgage here.

Now let's take a look at the landlord's point of view.
Prospective landlords are leery of bad experiences, because
almost all have had more than one. Most prospective tenants
can pay the security deposit and first month's rent up front;
most cannot pay the last month's rent as well, before they
move into their new quarters.

If prospective tenants would agree to give up a certain amount
of their rights to privacy, perhaps there could be a central location
(Grand County Housing Authority?) where credit reports could be
run and then kept on file for six months, shared with prospective
landlords with written permission from the prospective tenants and
then destroyed after six months. This would be a great help to the
tenants,  because if the landlords are smart, each will run a credit
check before they allow the tenants to move in, and each time a
credit check is run, it lowers the prospective tenant's overall
credit score. (Yes, landlords should even run a credit check on
tenants who describe how perfect they are. Con men are great at
appearances: "I don't drink; I don't smoke; we don't have pets.")

Also, if a prospective landlord has a bad experience with a
tenant,they would have a central "bank" in which to log that
information. Checking these references would save future
landlords a lot of mental and financial anguish, and would
make the many vacation home owners in Grand County
feel more comfortable with opening up their homes and
allowing locals to have a comfortable and affordable
place to live.

With subsidized rentals, the appearance of the home should not be
expected to be new.I think we would all agree that affordable and/or
subsidized housing need not, necessarily, be new construction.
Forcing developers to pay for new housing units at their own expense
with no guarantee of resale simply raises the cost of housing for
everyone.

Your comments and feedback are welcomed.
You may also visit our office on the Boardwalk in person to give
yourinput or call us using 970-627-3103 or toll-free: 866-296-1949.

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