Hispanic real estate group hopes to increase 'sustainable homeownership' in the community
¡Buenos días, amigos!
It's no secret that the Nashville area housing market is red-hot. (And for that matter, in so many parts of Tennessee!)
Homeowners are generally reaping the rewards with higher property values, but many buyers are having a hard time finding a home they can afford.
Over the weekend, I had several conversations that explored this question: "Could you afford your home today?"
It's a scary proposition, and as someone who has written about growth and affordable housing for many years, it's an issue that is near and dear to my heart.
The national Latino homeownership rate of 51.4% is lower than the national average of 64.8%. In Tennessee, the figure for Latinos is 40.6%, according to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.
NAHREP is holding a regional conference in Nashville starting on Thursday with the aim of promoting sustainable home ownership, said Orlando Camargo, NAHREP director of communications.
"Hispanics are projected to be 70% of new home owners in the next 20 years," he told me in a telephone interview. "As an economic group, it's a very influential group. The biggest challenge is the lack of availability of homes."
Latinos were disproportionately disaffected by the Great Recession and the real estate bubble, Camargo added.
Recently, I hosted a real estate roundtable on the Tennessee Voices video podcast. One of the four panelists was Ana Maria Cortes, Nashville chapter president of NAHREP.
Scroll for the link to our conversation. Are you facing the same struggle? Share your story.
In this week's newsletter, you will also find:
Adrianna Rodriguez of USA TODAY answers: "What will COVID-19 look like this summer? Health experts say the virus won't be endemic, yet."
Lipscomb University and Metro Nashville Public Schools hope to increase the number of Latino teachers in classrooms. Read more about the program focused on students in Antioch in this story by Meghan Mangrum.
Meet Xochitl Gomez, who stars as superhero America Chavez in the newly released "Dr. Strange" sequel.
MLS writer Drake Hills introduces readers to the famous "Soccer Moses," a major booster for Nashville SC and for the fan experience. ¡Goooooool!
Bonus: Congratulations to journalist María Hinojosa and the Futuro Media team, who won a Pulitzer Prize Monday in the audio category for the podcast "Suave." Producer Julieta Martinelli once worked in Nashville at WPLN, the NPR affiliate in town, and I'm currently reading Maria's memoir, "Once I Was You," which I highly recommend. ¡Felicidades!
Happy week! ¡Muchas gracias!
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Latino real estate group hopes to increase sustainable homeownership
