The housing market is getting mighty tight in Yuma, and throughout the region.
According to one realtor, only one house in Yuma currently is listed for sale. And it reportedly is not much better in surrounding communities, impacting the ability for people to move here, or go from renting into home ownership. It also limits opportunities for population growth.
“No new people are coming in,” Bernice Pagel of Hoch Real Estate said. “The locals that are buying, spend a lot of money locally during the moving process.”
The lack of available homes underscores the need for more housing. A housing study commissioned by the Yuma County Economic Development Corporation indicated that Yuma County was significantly short of dwellings compared to demand.
It does mean that most homeowners who do want to sell, are able to do so in a timely manner.
There are at least two new homes being built in Yuma, and there are several remodels. However, the cost for building supplies is very high right now, Pagel pointed out, and the inventory for those supplies is very low.
She also noted that, despite there being many open lots in the community, it is difficult to find one available to build on.
“For some reason, people are holding on to their vacant lots,” Pagel said.
So for now, it is going to be difficult to find a home to buy.
