The Berkshire County Board of REALTORS was very proud to be at the Western MA Housing Study Launch at UMass Amherst, representing you this week. Through our grant request to the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS, we were able to help ensure Berkshire County was included in the study. The new “Building Homes | Building Futures” report shows that in western Massachusetts, we need to build or preserve 17,000 housing units by 2035. Our region faces a mix of challenges–and opportunities–when it comes to building more housing.
Not only is the report a compelling look at how Berkshire residents are challenged in housing, but also how we are in comparison with the rest of the western region as well as the state. The data is fantastic at showing the rental and home market, economic impacts on communities, building permit rates, how much of our housing stock is held by investors and/or STR use, rental increases over the years and so much more. In addition to this report, they also shared their phenomenal tool, “a data explorer“, that will help you understand population and housing in each town or city. You can use this tool to explore real housing data, compare communities, and help shape smart solutions. You can find:
- Housing and population data for residents
- School enrollment trends
- Water and sewer access
- Economic impact of new housing development
- Impact on emergency services
You can also use these tools to compare your community to others in the region and easily downloaded and printed for you to share with others as your community plans how to address
housing locally.
Did you know that in Berkshire County 22% of homeowners pay more than 30% of their income for housing and, hold on to your hat, over 54% of renters spend more than 30% on their rent costs! This is considered housing cost burdened residents, and represents a huge portion of our population.
Read the full report – lots of graphs and photos for those that learn through pictures and lots of text for the rest!