By Alexandra Goldman,
Most of the Questa community thinks it is difficult to find safe and affordable housing in Questa, according to a recent survey conducted by the Questa Economic Development Fund (QEDF), in collaboration with Taos Housing Partnership.

This survey was focused on housing affordability and preferences and gathered over 100 responses at the Questa Fiestas and Questa Farmer’s Market this past June. The survey is part a larger effort to create housing affordability strategies for the Questa community.

Potential Solutions
When asked about potential housing solutions, 77 percent of survey respondents said community leaders should explore a renovation and rehabilitation program for existing rental properties. The survey indicates wide support for a program like the Questa Lodging Project with a rotating loan fund for renovation and rehabilitation of rental properties

The surveys also show support for exploring the possibility of building new entry-level for-purchase homes (55 percent) and for building new rental housing (44 percent). A large portion (48 percent of respondents) would like community leaders to explore a down-payment assistance program as well.
Housing Preferences

When asked about their own housing preferences, the most popular option was homeownership in a detached, single family home, close to town. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best, these were the responses:

The Affordability Gap
The survey also asked respondents to self-report an affordable monthly rent or mortgage payment. The responses were far lower than the current cost of housing in the Questa area. For example, most respondents said they could afford a monthly mortgage payment of $1,000 or less, however a mortgage payment for a home selling for $350,000 is approximately $2,000 per month. At this time, there are very few homes selling for less than $350,000 in the greater Questa area.

Not surprisingly, respondents overwhelmingly indicated that housing in Questa is expensive and difficult to find.

The survey was made possible by a grant from the LOR Foundation, and is part of a months-long project undertaken by Taos Housing Partnership in collaboration with QEDF and other Questa community members. The survey results, along with community interviews, will be used to formulate several concrete, actionable strategies that Questa could implement to increase housing affordability. Stay tuned for updates on these strategies in the coming months! alexandra@taoshousingpartnership.org