Check out Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent's coverage of the local housing market

The pandemic inspired a feverish exodus from the region's cities not seen since the Poconos' post-September 11, 2001 population boom.

As housing prices rose, locals saw themselves priced out, and some families were in a more vulnerable place than ever before. Reporters Maria Francis and David Mazzenga from the Pocono Record (in Stroudsburg) and Tri-County Independent (in Honesdale) got together to highlight the unique issues faced by first-time buyers, the housing insecure, the would-be new home builders and more in northeast Pennsylvania.

Read on for highlights from our collaborative coverage of this unique housing market.

Crisis resources: Need housing help in northeast Pa.? Check out these available resources

Million-dollar mountain: The most expensive homes on the market

"We have seen here in Monroe County, we have seen a 300% increase in sales of million dollar plus homes this year over last. We have more homes listed over $1 million than in years past— and they are selling faster than ever" Nicole A. Murray, an Association Executive with the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS, said.

There (were) over 20 homes currently listed at over a million dollars in Monroe County (in 2021).

According to Murray, there are multiple factors driving the search for high end homes in the Poconos. Remote work, low interest rates, stock market performance, and the area's proximity to New York and Philadelphia are fueling buyers entering the local high end housing market.

Subscribers can read the full story hereMonroe's most expensive homes list at nearly $3 million in Summer 2021

New residents in rural Pocono counties are coming from NY and NJ

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania released a study showing a 7% overall increase in rural home sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties together contain eight out of the 10 municipalities with the largest net increase in residential property sales, all of which are rural municipalities.

In the case of Wayne and Pike Counties, many of these residents came from urban areas in New York and New Jersey.

Subscribers can read the full story hereStudy shows overall increase in rural home purchases in Pocono counties

Seller's market: How much house can $250K buy in northeast PA?

"Buyers will continue to have struggles finding homes, with inventory expected to stay low," Yarrow A. Wilkins of Remax Crossroads in East Stroudsburg said. "It is a tough market for buyers, it is so competitive."

According to Wilkins, buyers are waiving inspections, making their offers as “appealing” as possible to a seller, and that is risky business.

"It is never our recommendation to have buyers waive such important parts of the home buying process." She said.

Wilkins said investors continue to flock to the Pocono area for vacation rental properties, which are a hard commodity to find. Zoning changes in both townships and boroughs are making it hard to find properties that legally permit vacation rentals.

Subscribers can read the full story hereHow far would your money go in the Poconos housing market?

Priced out? First-time home buyers are facing uphill battle in Poconos

Half packed boxes line the walls of the living room in a multi-level apartment on Terrace Street, heralding the impending move. After more than a decade of his adult life renting apartments, Phillip Alleva-Cox is on the cusp of purchasing his first home.

For two years, he and his wife, Hannah McDonough, have surveyed local housing markets in search of a place where they and their son, Milo, a rambunctious one-year-old, can settle in. "I never really wanted to be a homeowner," he said, noting homeownership never appealed to him in quite the same way it did his parents and other of their generation.

"I would have always preferred to rent. I'm not handy in that way… and a lot of owning a home requires that you either have the money or the ability to fix things when they break."

Subscribers can read the full story herePriced out? First-time home buyers are facing uphill battle in Poconos

Inflation is driving up utility costs in the Poconos. Locals pay the price

For established residents in the Poconos and northeast Pennsylvania, whether they rent or own, utility costs are a perennial bloom withering wallets with each month. And when one rate increases, the impact trickles down.

"Every single industry is affected by crude oil price," said Ray Cortazzo.

Cortazzo is the owner of R.R. Cortazzo Oil located in Pen Argyl. The company has been servicing Monroe and Northampton counties since 1946, delivering heating oil, kerosene and diesel fuel.

"When crude oil prices go up, then all major oil companies put their price up. It affects everything." Cortazzo said, noting that most products in the United States are delivered via "18-wheelers."

Subscribers can read the full story hereThe cost of homeownership is rising in the Poconos. Here's why inflation may be to blame.

Affordable housing in the Poconos in short supply as boom continues

Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by phenomena such as an ongoing real estate boom and eviction moratoriums, are now being felt by the most vulnerable residents throughout the Pocono-northeast region.

One of those consequences: a sky-high rental market that is contributing to an emerging affordable housing crisis.

"Housing costs have doubled and even tripled in most cases since the COVID-19 pandemic," said Cymanda Robinson. "What people were paying for a one-bedroom was about $700 per month. Right now, you'd be lucky to find one for $1,150. Two-bedrooms are running between $1,400-1,700 monthly and three-bedrooms are in the $2,000 range."

Subscribers can read the full story hereHow the Poconos housing boom is impacting the region's most vulnerable

Who can afford to build in the Poconos? 'Out of state buyers'

"We're very busy into 2023, but the average home that used to cost around $250-300 (thousand), is now 40% more than 2018 or 30% more than pre-COVID-19 pandemic," said Robert Brown, Owner of RGB Custom Home Builders. "The cost to build has gone up that much and it has affected affordability." While affordability for the average buyer has become more challenging, RGB Builders is still busy building custom homes.

"We are currently building at least six houses in the $1.9 to $3.2 million-dollar range, all cash," said Brown. "It is an interesting dynamic, but certainly, it's affected affordability for the entry level house, like the first time homebuyers— it's just killing them."

Brown lamented that local residents are getting priced out by the influx of out-of-state buyers looking to relocate to the Poconos. "I have four kids, two of which would probably be buying, but it's just a little tough right now,"

Subscribers can read the full story hereCost of building continues to rise in Poconos as local market cools

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: The Poconos housing market exploded during the COVID pandemic