Wichita residents and housing experts spoke about housing issues in the city Monday night. The Wichita Journalism Collaborative, which KSN is part of, hosted the event. A panel took questions from the audience and discussed the need for more homes in the community. The panel consisted of: Danielle Johnson, Executive Director of Wichita Habitat for Humanity, Dr. Stanley Longhofer, Professor and Director of Wichita State University Center for Real Estate, Pete Najera, President and CEO of United Way of the Plains, and Sally Stang, Director of Housing and Community Services for the city of Wichita. The housing inventory in Wichita dominated the discussion at the community listening session. The city estimates that our area needs up to 50,000 housing units, both affordable and otherwise, to meet the housing needs of our community. Longhofer says some of the need could be addressed with smaller twin homes, duplexes or townhomes, which could require zoning changes. He also said it is important to renovate housing in the community. “As we find solutions and as we develop new affordable housing, how are we making sure that housing stays quality in the future and we’re maintaining it,” said Longhofer.
Source: KLC Journal

Sixty percent of Sedgwick County homeowners will see higher tax appraisals when notices are mailed out March 1. Despite the bad news for three in five residential property owners, it’s actually the lowest proportion of appraisal increases since 2018. Appraisals went up for 80% of homeowners in 2023 and 88% in 2022. This year, the average median increase is 8%. Only 1% of the county’s 183,359 residential parcels declined in value. Tax appraisal increases are driven by sales of new and existing homes. “We still have shortages of housing. The unbalance between supply and demand is there and it pushes up those prices,” County Appraiser Mark Clark told the County Commission on Wednesday. Climbing valuations could lead to higher property taxes unless the County Commission lowers the mill levy. Even so, property owners will have a chance to appeal appraisals. The median sale price for a home in Sedgwick County increased to $243,200 last year — up just over 8% from $225,000 in 2022. The first year the county’s median price point topped $200,000 was 2021. The median price point for an existing house in 2023 was $223,000, compared to $382,770 for a new build. Home sales decreased by 16.8%, which Clark attributed to relatively high interest rates and high residential property prices. “You have property owners that don’t want to give up a mortgage with a rate of 3.5 percent or less for a mortgage that is 6.5 percent or greater,” he said. “The bottom line is, some potential buyers are forgoing the purchase of a home and are waiting for lower rates. At the same time, some potential buyers are becoming acclimated to these rates and they are simply choosing to buy smaller homes.”
Source: KLC Journal