MARYLAND NEEDS MORE HOUSING. RIGHT NOW.
Tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced finding affordable housing in Maryland.
BREAKING NEWS: Double Digit Increase in Concerns about Housing Availability & Affordability In Maryland
More Expensive. Less Affordable.
“Affordable housing is disappearing because so many people want to live in Maryland but there’s too little housing. That drives housing prices up –and that drives average people out. “
Older Marylanders and families of color are being squeezed out of the housing market because there aren’t enough attainable housing options. We need immediate action to preserve housing opportunities for all Maryland residents.
Maryland Needs
Additional Homes
National Low Income Housing Coalition
How Can We Open Doors to Housing That Works for Everyone?
We urge our elected leaders in Maryland to SUPPORT:
Addressing Maryland’s Housing Crisis
Maryland residents continue to feel the impacts of decreasing housing supply and increasing housing costs. To reverse these trends, policymakers must change current regulations which prevent the construction of smaller, more affordable Missing Middle housing types that Maryland desperately needs. We support statewide legislation that identifies and quantifies our critical housing needs and takes meaningful steps toward addressing our growing housing shortfalls.
Streamlining the Condo and HOA Resale Process
When purchasing a home in a condominium, co-operative or homeowners’ association, buyers receive a packet of information and are given certain timeframes to review it. However, the information they receive and the deadlines for review differ between these types of communities, and the fees that are charged to obtain this information can often exceed the amounts allowed by law. We support legislation to streamline and simplify this process for buyers and sellers and prevent additional fees from being charged to consumers during the resale process.
Protecting Consumers in “Wholesaling” Transactions
Commonly known as “wholesaling,” assigning contracts is a real estate practice where an investor contracts with a homeowner to buy their property, but then re-sells that contract to another purchaser for a different price. While this is a legal practice, buyers and sellers may have no knowledge that a “wholesaler” is involved in their transaction and can lose significant home equity as a result. We support legislation to provide greater oversight of those who engage in these practices and protect consumer interests during these transactions.
Preserving Maryland’s Housing Programs
Maryland is projected to face steep budget shortfalls in the coming years, which may require the state to scale back spending on certain programs and services. However, with the decrease in housing affordability in recent years, financial assistance and programs for first-time buyers are more needed than ever. We support full funding for the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Maryland Mortgage Program in the state’s next budget cycle.
Expanding First-Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts
One of the first legislative victories achieved by Open Doors Maryland was passage of legislation to create First-Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts in 2021. As time has passed, the usage of those accounts has been less than expected because only the first-time buyer can open one. We support legislation to broaden the use of these accounts by allowing parents or other relatives to start an account to benefit a first-time buyer, so that they may have additional time to save for their home purchase.