By: PEGGYANN MCCONNOCHIE
It is safe to say I am passionate about real estate and helping Alaskans achieve their dreams to own a home.
After 42 years in real estate, I am more convinced than ever that the leadership in Washington truly matters not just when it comes to the housing market, it matters when it comes to the everyday lives of so many Alaskans.
There is no question Alaskans have been hit hard by inflation, energy prices, and an unaffordable housing market.
Life in Alaska certainly has its challenges and one of the most pressing is housing affordability. The dream of once owning a home seems beyond reach for many first time home buyers.
The economic policies prioritized by the Biden/Harris Administration have hindered growth through excessive regulation and high taxes. Housing costs have escalated because fewer people have the financial means to support the housing market.
Unfortunately for Alaskans, this has led to a cycle where housing affordability has become a significant barrier to economic prosperity in our state.
The stark reality is that there are far too many Alaskans who are struggling with high housing costs which has caused a wave of outmigration. Leaving the state should not be the solution for Alaskans who dream of owning a home.
The federal governments plays a significant role in shaping economic policies that can either alleviate or exacerbate housing affordability issues.
The policies coming out of Washington aren’t cutting it when it comes to tackling inflation and getting Americans back to work.
Our leadership in Washington has failed the American people by prioritizing a proxy war in Europe instead of getting a handle on our nation’s debt. This has led to housing costs skyrocketing and fewer Americans being able to afford basic necessities. This includes a place to call home.
The need for a change in leadership can not be overstated enough.
Rep. Mary Peltola has been a rubber stamp for the Biden Administration’s socialist agenda. The policies she has supported are failing Alaskan residents.
Her support for increased federal regulations and taxes has impacted real estate development and housing affordability in Alaska.
Her failure to support Alaska’s Right to Produce Act and vote against increased pay for military families was a nail in the coffin of her political career.
Alaska needs true conservative leadership in Washington – someone who will advocate for fiscal responsibility, deregulation, and economic growth. All these factors lay the groundwork for a thriving economy and affordable housing.
Nick Begich is the only candidate in this race who has signed a paycheck for hard working Alaskans and knows how to run a business. He will take that same pro-business mindset to Washington.
His support for responsible fiscal policies will keep inflation in check which help to stabilize housing prices.
As a candidate who puts Alaskans first, Nick Begich supports resource development, lowering taxes, and streamlining federal regulations. For Alaskans, this will lead to job creation and enhance Alaskans ability to afford homes.
When Alaska businesses thrive and job opportunities expand, the demand for housing increases, leading to a more dynamic and competitive housing market.
More importantly, sustainable resource development and a strong economy is vitally important to increase incomes and create a ripple effect across numerous industries here in Alaska.
It is critically important to have someone in Washington who fights for the future of our state and is pro- growth, pro-business, and can make housing affordable again by getting out nation’s debt under control. Nick Begich has proven he is up for that fight.
PeggyAnn McConnochie is a Juneau resident since 1980 and a member of Capital City Republican Women.
Let the natural path create housing and keep politicians out of it because everything they touch comes with strings and condisions.
Let me see if I have this right, “Housing costs have escalated because fewer people have the financial means to support the housing market.”
Fewer buyers, according to the author, result in higher prices. Considering basic supply and demand, that makes no sense.
“The economic policies prioritized by the Biden/Harris Administration have hindered growth through excessive regulation and high taxes.” Uh, what taxes has the Biden/Harris administration levied?
Whether any of you like to admit it, the economy is doing very well in nearly every metric. Yes, inflation was very high for a time, but it has come under control. Trump’s economic plan is “everyone gets a pony, and I’ll get other countries to pay for it!”, in other words, pure fantasy. Now, to be fair, the economic plan Harris has put out isn’t fantastic, but it is way better than Trump’s plan.
But go on, keep telling yourselves the sky is falling and the economy is crashing, just because Orange Jesus says it is.
Fewer buyers means more renters. When the rental prices go up due to supply limits the price of housing goes up. There aren’t many empty houses.
PeggyAnn gets it wrong, even though I think her heart is in the right place.
PeggAnn writes: “The economic policies prioritized by the Biden/Harris Administration have hindered growth through excessive regulation and high taxes. Housing costs have escalated because fewer people have the financial means to support the housing market.”
I’ll explain why Biden- Harris have made things much worse for home buyers, but the above is not true- its empty rhetoric. Taxes were cut by Trump, and no tax hikes have been imposed since. Regulation happens more at the local level than by what DC imposes.
Here’s how Biden- Harris have made housing more expensive:
1. They went on a deficit spending spree and this triggered the highest inflation in 40 years. The Federal Reserve responded by hiking interest rates to try and calm inflation. These rate hikes caused mortgage interest rates to double- from about 3% to 7%.
2. Biden- Harris imposed tarrifs on steel and lumber. Trump is partly guilty of this too- by his tarriffs on lumber. Biden- Harris also imposed massive tariffs on solar- at a time when many homes are trying to convert to solar.
3. Biden- Harris opened our borders. More than 10 million unwanted people broke in. These criminals then demanded housing. Since there was a significant increase in demand, housing prices, and rent prices, jumped.
If you want to make an impact on housing prices you need to get these communist local governments out of the way. There are the entities that impose high property taxes on homes. These are the entities that impose expensive rules through their adoption of the various building codes. Many of these codes- such at the NEC require insanely expensive electrical equipment such as arc fault breakers that can make a home more expensive.
It is the local governments that impose rules, and fees, that can increase the cost of building a home by as much as $25,000 just to get a permit.
Realtors with their demands for a 6% commision are also a big problem. Paying a realtor $36,000.00 to sell a $600,000 home is very excessive.