Living on the cheap

Posted on by Cecil Bothwell

Newcomers and old-timers alike report it is increasingly difficult to find affordable housing in the Asheville area. The city’s Planning and Development Department reports that Asheville’s home prices are higher, both relative to incomes and in absolute terms, than any other metropolitan area in North Carolina.

The city of Asheville, the Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County, First Citizens Bank, the Buyers Agent and OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling will hold the fourth annual Affordable Housing Fair on Saturday, Aug. 11. The event is free and open to the public.

The Housing Fair is designed to connect the public with realtors, mortgage lenders, home ownership counselors, apartment managers and rental housing counselors. Workshops on home-buying and a tour of affordable homes are scheduled, and free credit reports will be available to all in attendance.

The Affordable Housing Fair will be held Saturday, Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at First Baptist Church on Woodfin Street near downtown Asheville.

For more information, contact Nathaniel Wingfield at 232-4536.

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About Cecil Bothwell
A writer for Mountain Xpress since three years before there WAS an MX--back in the days of GreenLine. Former managing editor of the paper, founding editor of the Warren Wilson College environmental journal, Heartstone, member of the national editorial board of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, publisher of Brave Ulysses Books, radio host of "Blows Against the Empire" on WPVM-LP 103.5 FM, co-author of the best selling guide Finding your way in Asheville. Lives with three cats, macs and cacti. His other car is a canoe. Paints, plays music and for the past five years has been researching and soon to publish a critical biography--Billy Graham: Prince of War:
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