Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Illinois Association of Realtors has launched a partnership with local officials across the state that could lead to more housing being built while potentially eliminating barriers. This partnership is to “accelerate housing.” Jeff Baker the CEO of the association, was on The WTAX Morning Newswatch and he tells us what the Illinois Housing Accelerator Program” is about.

“Illinois Realtors is the largest advocate for housing and homeownership in the entire state of Illinois,” said Baker. “We’ve been closely watching the housing situation in Illinois for the last five or six years in particular. We have just watched housing supply, kind of go off a cliff, and watch what that’s done to prices. 
We’ve watched what that’s done to affordability and attainability and it’s driven so many people away from, you know, realizing that dream of home ownership. It’s also locked current homeowners in their homes and kept them from being able to either upsize or downsize in their homes. we’ve been pushing state and local lawmakers for years to look at policy changes that can incentivize new home construction. 
And this is just our latest effort to work with local officials to see if we can’t enact some policy changes at the local level, that will lead to more new homes on the market.” 

Why do this with units of local government statewide?

“Illinois is pulling about 4,500 less single-family home permits every single year than it did less than it did ten years ago. We’re selling about 5,000 less homes every year than we did about ten years ago and cumulatively, that adds up to a massive economic impact on the state and on local communities, to the tomb of about $225 million a year in lost economic impact.”

To learn more about this effort and partnership CLICK HERE.