Home-owning dream on hold for Abingtons dog owner
Sep. 21—The Times-Tribune spoke to more than two dozen people from different walks of life as they confront our changing economy. Their stories will be published each day in print and at thetimes-tribune.com/news/pricedout.
FACTORYVILLE — Share' Holtz walks her dogs, Thunder and Breeze, through Christy Mathewson Park.
Looking around excitedly, the Borzois stretch their legs and bask in the sunshine. It's the dog days of summer.
The 56-year-old regularly brings her dogs to the borough park for exercise. In her living situation, the canine family — which also includes Norman and Sunshine — can only run in tight circles within a tiny yard.
The longtime renter wants to own a modest home in the Dalton-Factoryville area where the five of them could thrive. She envisions a space suitable for social gatherings along with a big yard for her Borzois to roam and her gardening passion to blossom.
The uncertainty of the housing market has cast a shadow on her lifelong dream.
After being furloughed from her teaching job in Arizona, the Hanover Twp. native moved to the Clarks Summit area in late 2020 to stay with family. Knowing that housing prices have always been more affordable in Northeast Pennsylvania, the cross-country move came somewhat as a relief.
Taking a significant pay cut with her job working for the federal government, she turned to the nonprofit NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania to learn about options for first-time home buyers.
Holtz started browsing houses for sale and grew frustrated with inflated asking prices. Despite qualifying for down payment assistance, she ultimately decided to reapply with NeighborWorks next year.
"I feel that insecure buying a home in today's market, even with down payment assistance," she said. "To me, even if I were to land the home that meets all of my buying points, I would be devastated to lose it due to more economic strife. So for the rest of this year, I'll just place this dream on a shelf."
Contact the writer: bwilliams@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5365; @BWilliamsTT on Twitter.
