Photo by Robert Couse-Baker.

Seven percent of Raleigh population is veterans —an estimated 23,434 people.

Raleigh’s black veteran population is 32.4 percent, which is higher than the 27.3 percent of residents who identify themselves as black.

In terms of age, most of Raleigh’s veterans, 33.4 percent, are 35 to 54 years old. The smallest age group, 13 percent, is 18 to 35.

Far more Raleigh veterans (21 percent) are disabled compared to the non-veteran rate of 8 percent.

Almost a third of Raleigh veterans, the largest group, fought in Vietnam compared to 5 percent, the smallest group, who fought in WWII.

Veterans earn more on average than non-veterans. In the past 12 months, veterans’ median income measures $39,032, compared to $26,807 for non-veterans.

In the past 12 months, 4 percent of Raleigh’s veterans’ incomes fell below poverty status

compared to the 17 percent of nonveterans.

The unemployment rate of Raleigh veterans slightly exceeds that of non-veterans – 11 percent of veterans compared to 10 percent of non-veterans.

Despite Raleigh’s relatively positive economic outlook, housing expenditures exceeding 30 percent of household income have traditionally been viewed as burdensome and more city residents are falling into that category.

In an analysis of rents as a percentage of household income, the data show 42 percent of Raleigh renters pay 35 percent or more of their household income in rent. Another 13 percent pay 15 to 19.9 percent and 11.6 percent spend 25 to 29.9 percent of their income on rent.

Raleigh Rent

The percentage of housing costs for homeowners figure includes mortgage payments, any second mortgage, home equity loan or line of credit, utilities (electricity, gas, other fuels and water), real estate taxes, property insurance, and any mobile home costs or condominium fees.

In Raleigh, 38 percent of mortgage payers spent less than 20 percent of their income of these costs, but 23 percent of mortgage holders pay 35 percent or more,

Bedrooms, Household Size, Transportation and Heating
In other findings, the majority of Raleigh’s 176,378 total housing units have three bedrooms (36 percent). Two-bedroom units account for 30 percent of the total and 16 percent of housing has four bedrooms.

Owners occupy 54 percent of Raleigh’s housing, with an average household size estimated at 2.49 persons. Renters occupy 46 percent of the total with an average household size of 2.29 persons.

Almost 41 percent of occupied households have access to one vehicle and 38 percent have access to two vehicles; only 14 percent of occupants do not have access to any vehicular transport.

The majority of Raleigh residents, 51 percent, use electricity to heat their homes while 47 percent use gas heat.

About 400 people are expected to stand on Peace Street sidewalks Saturday, protesting a series of changes that began in July with the announcement that men will be admitted beginning in fall of 2012.

Founded in 1857, Peace College now enrolls about 700 students per year. Peace President Debra Townsley cited financial concerns and dwindling enrollment as deciding factors in the decision to admit men.

College officials elaborated in a statement released to media.

“This decision was not entered into lightly or without due diligence,” the statement said. “If we were to continue on the current path of low enrollments and not meeting our enrollment goals, we have an operating model that could not be sustained economically without significant modification. With only about 2 percent of women who will consider a women’s college, our market for prospective students is limited and declining unless we become coeducational.”

Since then, a series of protests have begun on the sidewalks in front of the college. Students and alumnae wave signs that read, “It’s not the guys; it’s the lies.”

Those protesting say, indeed, it’s not the admittance of men they dislike, but that other changes they say will destroy the college’s educational reputation.

Glenda Kiddoo, a protester earlier photographed by the Record, posted a comment on the published photo story.

“The real issue at hand … is an absence of institutional integrity and an administration given to totalitarian rule,” she wrote.

Kioddoo cites a series of complaints, from layoffs to eliminated majors, a list she said is “just a sampling of some of the shenanigans that have taken place over the course of the year.”

Others simply wish they had known changes were ahead.

“They never consulted alumni,” said alumna Beth Faulkner. “I was with [Debra] Townsley after the staff and major changes at a meet-the-President event and the only thing they discussed was the majors and how great Peace was doing. They said everything was in good shape and we had a bright future.”

A call for comments from university officials was referred to MMI Public Relations, which is handling media requests related to the recent changes. MMI stated no additional comments would be made as it had already issued statements. (Read full statements below.)

Changing Traditions
Since the announcement, Peace officials have enacted some new policies. The first came just before Move-In Day Aug. 26. It is a long-standing tradition for alumnae to help new students get settled.

But when Peace alumna Lorna Dailey arrived as scheduled, she was confronted by two Peace college security staff, an off-duty Raleigh Police officer and a plainclothes officer.

Dailey, who was married in the Peace Chapel and whose daughters attended Peace College, was told, “This is private property and you are trespassing.”

When Dailey protested, a member of Peace security staff, Michael John, asked her to “leave before there was any trouble.”

Later, Daley learned the William Peace University Board of Trustees had issued a Peace Demonstration Statement for Move-In Day.

In that statement, university officials said participation in the tradition of move-in day was limited to “ensure the safety and privacy of our students.”

“Our announcement to become coeducational is a challenging one for some of our alumnae,” the statement said. “We were informed that some alumnae were planning to disrupt move-in day as a means to protest this decision. Therefore, and upon the advice of the Raleigh Police Department, the decision was made to limit participation during move-in day to ensure the safety and privacy of our students.”

A Climate of Fear
Peace officials also enacted a new Speech, Expression and Assembly policy. The new policy requires students to submit written, 24-hour notice for activities to be approved. Peace’s 2011 student handbook does not cover the topic of speech or free expression.

Students received the new policy via e-mail on Aug. 29 — the first day of the series of planned protests.

Posts on the Preserve Peace Legacy Facebook site mention student concerns and fears of disciplinary action if they participate in the protests.

Yet the protests continue nightly, with the largest event scheduled for Saturday, despite what some say is a fearful climate now that the new protest policy is in place.

“Students fear being arrested, kicked out or losing scholarships,” said Amber Karas, a senior at Peace. “We’re not protesting the men, but the lies, the disrespect and lack of communication.”

Senior Rachel House said she “does not feel personally intimidated.”

But, she said, students have shared with her warnings from advisors “not to go to the protest, not to skip class.” She’s also heard reports of foreboding statements from teachers: “I do not want to dissuade you, but you should probably not go to the protest.”

Alumna Elizabeth Watson, who has assisted students and other alumnae to plan protest activities, said so far, no students have been disciplined for taking part in the protests on the sidewalk.

Still, some are concerned about the consequences. Susan Murray’s daughter Laura has a scholarship and a job on campus. Her concerns led her to carefully examined Laura’s work contract and advise her to check with financial aid to ensure participating in the protests would not threaten her financial situation.

“This draconian speech and expression policy put out at the eleventh hour is very intimidating,” Murray said.

President Emeritus David Frazier, who led Peace College from 1965 to 1988, is not available attend Saturday’s protest.

Although a ban is not the reason for his absence, in an e-mail sent Sept. 7 he said, “If I am at the protest Saturday morning, I will be banned from campus, because all protesters are banned.”

Although at least one other group of college students successfully protested and reversed a decision to go co-ed, Peace officials said this change is final.

“Please know that the decision has been made; it will not be reversed; and it will be implemented,” the statement said.

Officials hoping the new admittance policy will boost the college’s financials may not get their wish, as some alumnae find other ways to protest.

In an earlier interview Frazier said he “talked to a number of people recently, six or eight people, and I have confirmed from them that they are removing about $7.5 million from their estate plans – money that was going to come to Peace but now will not be going to Peace.”

Ringing phones, concerned customers and media phone calls. That’s how many Hillsborough Street business owners first learned that N.C. State University had awarded a contract to build a luxury hotel between Enterprise Street and Maiden Lane.

Last week, local real estate development group Bell View Partners and The Bernstein Companies, a Washington D.C.-based real estate group, were selected to redevelop the site, which was acquired by the university’s endowment fund some years ago. The fund is capitalized by donations and profits made by investing donated funds.

All business owners knew redevelopment plans were in the works, but none received advance notice before the news went public.

“I’ve been hearing about a hotel for the past six or seven months, so that was not a surprise, but no one has ever talked to me about me getting out of the space or what they were doing with the corner,” said Rose Schwetz, owner of longtime Raleigh landmark Sadlacks’ Heroes. “No one has talked to us about anything; the university has not talked to us about anything, so we are all hanging there in the dark.”

Ric Culross, who works at Schoolkids Records, said it was a poor approach.

“The only thing that I was surprised at is that no information was offered to the tenants here, so we could announce the news and make plans, too,” he said.

Ever since the announcement he has been “flooded with phone calls and questions and people dropping by to say ‘thanks.’ They even took pictures of our neon sign and things like that.”

Merchants Unsure What Future Holds
Sadlack’s Heroes has been located at the corner of Enterprise and Hillsborough Streets since 1973, according to Susan Harb, who was married to Frank Sadlack when the business opened its doors. At the time, the restaurant had 17 seats and offered delivery to nearby N.C. State campus students.

Culross said Schoolkids Records has been on Hillsborough Street for 38 years, but moved next to Sadlacks’ in January 2009. Buddha’s Belly, the Groom Room Barbershop, Roundabout Art Collective and the Bell Tower Mart also occupy business space between Enterprise Street and Maiden Lane.

Frank Sadlack and his wife, Susan, on Sadlack's opening night.

The Groom Room and Buddha’s Belly have month-to-month leases, The Bell Tower Mart’s lease expires in December 2011 and Schoolkids Records’ lease expires in March of 2012.

Schwetz said Sadlack’s lease has three to four more years with a 10-year option.

For the most part, business owners aren’t sure what they will do once construction begins.

The project calls for ground-floor retail space below the hotel, but Schwetz does not know if there will be room for Sadlack’s.

“You can’t make any decision until they talk to you and I have not seen the plan, the new structure, so I do not know what size the retail space will be or about parking,” she said. “Really I just don’t know. I’m in a wait-and-see situation.”

Speaking through tears, Bell Tower Mart’s owner Anne Choi said university officials told her there might be space in the new complex.

“I was so surprised to hear about this yesterday and I have no idea when things will change,” she said.

Jay Long, who owns Buddha’s Belly, said his plans are up in the air, but knows he wants to relocate “near the N.C. State University campus.”

Davion Davis, interviewed while barbering a customer in his businesses, the Groom Room Barbershop, has the same plan. He said he felt confident most of his customers would follow him; clients waiting for a trim spoke up to agree.

Wrecking Balls Not Imminent
Business owners have plenty of time to make plans. The project won’t begin anytime soon, according to Ralph Reccie, N.C. State’s director of real estate.

The land acquisition will take time, as will the zoning, permitting and design phases.

“This is not an overnight thing; this is not something that is happening next week,” he said. “I would be surprised if the site was under construction in 12 to 14 months.”

He also finds the furor misplaced.

“Sadlacks is not necessarily going away,” he said. “It is not necessarily going to be at that location but the name has a reputation, so it is up to Rose as to what she wants to do — relocate, reopen within the new project. There are a myriad of options.”

“You can’t have redevelopment and substantial development in a neighborhood without someone having to be relocated,” he said.

Schwetz is keeping her options open until she finds out whether she would “fit into their plans in any way shape, or form that would keep Sadlack’s as a sandwich shop and a music venue, which is important for that whole area.”

Reccie said answering the merchant’s questions may take some time and the university may not be the source for the answers.

“This is privately funded investor-based project. When Bell View acquires the land, they will also be subject to the terms of the leases,” he said.

Meanwhile, merchants say they will just keep working.

“I’m going to stay open until they tell me I have to close,” Culross said. “When we find out when we need to leave, we will make plans at that point, but at the current time our plans are to stay here and keep doing business here.”

Schwetz agreed, saying she is “going to stay open until they tell me I have to close, so until then I will just continue on our merry way.”

The group presented concerns — crowded streets, scarce parking and declining property values — to Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver in a recent community meeting hosted by District D City Councilor Thomas Crowder.

N.C. State’s enrollment now stands at 34,000 students. Centennial Campus also hosts 4,000 private business employees, faculty and staff members and 600 middle school students.

Those higher enrollment numbers have increased demand for on-campus housing. But even when housing is available, students increasingly choose not to live in traditional dorm rooms, where shared bedrooms and common quarters are the norm.

Compared to 20 years ago, 90 percent of college freshman have never shared a bedroom. N.C. State University plans to build more on-campus designed to meet their needs, but no immediate relief is in sight.

Raleigh’s attempts to guide development closer to the university include zoning the areas near main and Centennial campuses as high density, but nothing compels private developers to choose the location.

Neighbors fear student-oriented developments farther away from campus will increase traffic and parking on already crowded streets and destroy the character of existing neighborhoods.

Cars fill the street parking in a neighborhood near NCSU.

What the City Can (and Can’t) Do
Ordinances to control the number of unrelated persons sharing a home space have been met with legal challenges in other communities. Even if the legal field was clear, such ordinances would also effect elderly housing or households where immigrants share rooms to reduce housing costs.

Since student housing is not a zoning category, Silver has instructed planning staff to meet with the city’s attorneys to research actions the city can legally take, including adopting best practices from other university towns such as Nashville’s university overlay districts.

Zoning has had some effect on Centennial’s future housing plans. In 1988, university officials agreed that one-third of Centennial’s nine million square feet would be residential. But the units are expected to be a combination of student housing and units for rent or for sale, according to Michael Harwood, associate vice chancellor for the Centennial Campus development office.

Students cross busy Hillsborough Street between classes.

University Housing Plans
Some relief is coming. University Housing Associate Director Jim Pappenhagen said additional apartment style housing on Centennial is coming soon. Phase One, due to open in the fall of 2013, will house 500 to 600 students and Phase Two, due to open in fall 2014, will accommodate another 550 students. On the main campus, university officials plan to replace two residence halls. The Greek Village also plans to add town homes.

Hardwood said more Centennial housing is in the works, but not all of it will be designed with students in mind.

The Greens at Centennial Campus will be a collaboration between the university and Capital and Associates, a private developer, that will add 280 one- and two-bedroom apartments designed for young professionals. The preliminary site plan will be submitted to Raleigh in the next two to three weeks, Harwood said.

Another mixed-use development with retail and residential units is planned for the area between Lake Raleigh and the new Hunt library in future years.

Students may live in either project, but the rents will be higher than most student housing options.

Private Development
Meanwhile, private development isn’t always the perfect answer, according to community activist and former city council member Anne Franklin.

The Raleigh 2030 Comprehensive Plan zones the areas near campus as high density as a way to guide development near the university, but nothing prohibits developers from building farther away.

“Some want to explore developing student housing at a distance from the campus with no accommodations for transportation, no library, no associated services or amenities,” Franklin said. “So essentially, anyone who lived there would have to operate a car. Even if you solved the transit issue, it still leaves a lot of trips.”

Jason Hibbets, chair of Raleigh’s South West Citizen Advisory Council, uses the planned Lineberry Student Housing project on Lake Wheeler Road as an example of a missed opportunity to meet both student and community needs.

“The site could have provided retail opportunity to the community in addition to providing housing opportunities for new residents,” he said.

As Franklin said, “Dense housing should be placed where that location is a destination, with things to do, places to live and places to shop. If you stick out in the middle of nowhere, it only gives people a place to live; it does not give them a place for a life.”

Inspectors used to have more leeway in determining what rental properties to inspect, but now they must demonstrate “reasonable cause” before inspections. The law also requires rental properties to be inspected in the same fashion as single-family dwellings, removing what many landlords viewed as a discrimination against rental property owners.

Reasonable causes listed in the statute include landlords or owners with two verified housing ordinance violations with 12 months, a complaint or a request to inspect substandard housing conditions, the inspection department already knows of an unsafe condition or ordinance violations are visible from outside the property.

Raleigh will also have to reduce the fees it requires for rental registration to comply with the new legislation. The old law charged property owners $30 for the first unit and $10 for each additional unit.

Under the new law, properties with 20 or more units shall pay no more than $50 per year total;  properties with more than three but less than 20 units will be charged no more than $25 per year and properties with three or less units, the fee is limited to $15 per year.

Previous fee structures had been described as a “housing tax” by the Apartment Association of North Carolina, which views the new legislation as a “major victory.”

District D City Council member Thomas Crowder disagrees.

“Most professional or business organizations have fees of some type to regulate and to police their industry. The fees are used to protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public. Until the rental registry the rental industry paid no fees versus other professional organizations.”

The old fee structure generated close to $1 million dollars annually. Part of that amount funded the city’s Probationary Rental Occupancy Permit program, which concentrates enforcement on rental properties with a history of public nuisance or noise violations.

According to Crowder, “PROP has been working well and we’ve seen a reduction in public nuisances and nuisance parties. I think over the first year it was reduced by 30 percent and very few people have received PROP permits. Under the legislated structure it will generate about a third of what it will take to run the program. That will mean the taxpayer must make up that difference to regulate and police the industry.”

Senior Housing Inspector Ashley Glover said the city’s attorneys will soon meet with the inspection department to begin the process of rewriting the ordinances.

Nicolette Fulton, associate city attorney, will be heading up that effort. She told the Record that she does not know when the rewritten ordinance will be ready.

Until the new ordinances are written, the old fees may still apply, according to Glover.

“If anyone owes fees for the 20011 registration year, which takes place between March 1 and April 30, the fees are still in effect,” he said.

Bicyclists headed downtown now have multiple parking choices thanks to a grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation.

Raleigh officials just installed 75 new bike racks. According to Eric Lamb, the city’s transportation planning manager, staff “looked for places where people were locking their bikes up to signposts and trees and tried to make sure they did not create any conflicts with things like doorways or prior outdoor dining permits.”

The DOT grant requires all racks funded are installed along public rights of way, not private property.

The new racks outside City Hall on West Hargett Street are the only exception, because the site is considered public property. The building already had racks in the parking deck, but they were not being used. The new racks are located near the front door to, as Lamb describes, “better meet our philosophy of installing racks as close to entrances as possible.”

The new bike racks will help alleviate tree parking, as seen here on Hargett Street. Photo by Karen Tam.

Before the new racks were installed, the downtown area had 36 bike racks, so now there are 111 racks total. Like the existing racks, the inverted U racks are designed to hold two bikes each, so Raleigh’s Central Business District can now accommodate 222 bicycles.

The new racks are the first time Raleigh has installed racks independent of a larger project, such as Fayetteville Street and the Hillsborough Street, but Lamb hopes to add even more in other city locations.

“Seeing how much usage the new racks are getting has been very gratifying,” he said. “Now we are scoping future locations for our next round in installations.”

Lamb says the city is also searching for funds to do the work.

“If we can pursue outside resources for funding we would certainly do that before using our city funds,” he said.

The total cost of the project was $18,875.

The average rental household size in Raleigh from the 2000 Census was 2.15, compared to 2.26 in the 2010 Census. Owner-occupied households grew only slightly larger, from 2000’s average of 2.43 to 2.44 today.

According to an Ad Age magazine special report, multi-generational households could include returning students, Hispanics, parents of older boomers and Gen-Xers who have moved them into their homes to avert high health care costs.

The percentage of young adults ages 19 to 29 who are living with their parents increased from 25 percent in 1980 to 34 percent in the late 2000s, according to Zhenchao Qian, an Ohio State sociology professor doing research for the United States 2010 Census Project.

Marilyn Gorman, who recently graduated from Meredith College, said her decision to move back home was “tough, but it is the only option, really. I did not get any full-time job offers anywhere, so I am having to move back home.”

Meredith graduate Marilyn Gorman packs up her dorm room to move home.

According to William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, the rise in Hispanic immigration is also a factor in growing household size.

“Many embrace living with in-laws and family even after they marry, and others are forced into those arrangements because of cost,” he said in an Associated Press article.

The number of households in Raleigh with non-relatives rose 101 percent compared to 2000, although the number of households with roomers or boarders declined by 10 percent and those with housemates or roommates fell by 12 percent.

In family households, the greatest increase was seen in the “parent” category, but in non-family households, “non relatives’ accounted for a 29 percent increase. In all households, the greatest growth – 64 percent – was seen in households holding four persons.

Of all factors – aging parents, rising healthcare prices, Hispanic housing difference and the economy – the economy is the most volatile and more apt to bring rapid change.

“As soon as I have enough money I’ll move into my own place or find a place to share with friends,” Gorman said. “I wouldn’t go in a room in an unsafe neighborhood or anything like that, but if you do have the option to live at home until you get a job or a pal gets a job, then you do what you have to do until your situation changes.”

Same-sex couples were counted for the first time in the 2010 Census. With 16,198 same-sex couples calling North Carolina home, the group now makes up 7 percent of all unmarried couples statewide and 8 percent in the Capital City.

Husband-and-wife households now account for 48 percent of all households in North Carolina; the total is 38 percent in Raleigh.

Unmarried couples of all types grew by 25 percent nationally in the last decade and now account for 12 percent of all U.S. couples. The number of unmarried couple households rose 55 percent statewide and more than 83 percent in Raleigh during the past 10 years.

Households headed by a male or a female with related children in the home account for 49 percent of Raleigh’s households, compared to 20 percent statewide.

North Carolina does not legally recognize marriages between same-sex couples, so the unmarried partner data was used for analysis. A proposed state constitution amendment may be voted on during a September special session to ensure only marriages between men and women are legally recognized.

According to Alex Miller, interim executive director of Equality, North Carolina, “Legislators need to be aware that the proposed anti-LGBT amendment will affect a larger percentage of our citizens than was previously understood, and that the friends, neighbors and co-workers of these couples will be unwilling to support a measure that enshrines discrimination against them into our state’s constitution.”

Dave Parnell (left) and his partner, Jeff Evans (right).

Jeff Evans’ reacted positively to Raleigh’s increasing number of same-sex couples in the census data.

“I think it is interesting and will raise awareness that we’re out there,” he said.

Evans’ partner of 22 years, Dave Parnell, agreed, but wondered if it was an accurate number.

“I think it’s a good start, but I think many same sex couples would have reservations about answering honestly when asked, with no protections against discrimination in place in our state,” he said.

Nationally, about one quarter of same-sex couples are raising children. In North Carolina, only 3 percent of same-sex households reported they had related children less than 18 years old in the home; the number in Raleigh is even lower at 2 percent.

Parnell believes the real number is probably higher.

“I think the same sex couples raising children is way under reported, based on our friends with children,” he said. “Perhaps there are reservations when asked the question by the federal government.”

Those concerns have been documented. According to the Williams Institute, a national think tank at the UCLA School of Law, the numbers may be undercounted. Concerns about confidentiality may have caused some same-sex couples to be fearful of identifying themselves. A survey conducted by the group found many did not choose the words “spouse” or “unmarried partner” to describe their relationship.

“I do think things will change as the general population realizes we are a part of their community,” Evans said.

Although today’s nationwide housing market is impacted by foreclosures and a lack of affordable options for those with limited incomes, Raleigh has fared better than other cities through the economic downturn.

Experts say that growth will continue and while rents will increase, plenty of options remain for median incomes.

Affordability
As of 2009, the median income in the Raleigh-Cary area was $76,900 and the median income for Wake County was $63,770, with 10.2 percent of the county population below the poverty level.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price for Raleigh in the first quarter of 2011 was $229,900, compared to the United States median price of $158,700.

The N.C. Housing Coalition found 39 percent of renters in the Raleigh-Cary area are unable to afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment at the fair market rent established by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for the region. Households earning minimum wage in 2009 could only afford $341 in rental payments — almost $300 less than the fair market rent.

But Raleigh rents are going up, according to the Triangle Area Residential Realty Report. Average rents from January through May 2011 were 11 percent higher than the same period in 2010. The area’s two month supply of rentals is considered low and rent prices are expected to rise until supplies stabilizes.

HUD’s definition of affordable housing is housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s income. For this definition, housing costs include not only rent or mortgage but utilities, and for homeowners they include taxes and insurance as well, said Margaret Matrone, director of government relations and communications of the N.C. Housing Finance Agency.

More affordable options may soon be available, though. Linda Trevor, president of the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors, noted, “Builders that originally planned to target higher incomes have changed their plans to create homes that are more attractive to the general buyer right now.”

She said Raleigh’s market is affected by harder hit markets across the nation.

“I know of several households across the country that would move here in an instant, but they are waiting for their homes to sell,” she said. “Once markets improve elsewhere, we’ll see an increase locally.”

Vacant Housing
The new Census shows the number of vacant homes rose from 6.7 percent to 7.5 percent, compared to a national average of 11.4 percent.

Part of the vacancy can be attributed to foreclosures, although foreclosures on homes in North Carolina fell 38.3 percent in May from a year ago and were down 3.4 percent from April, according to RealtyTrac.

That means one in every 1,050 homes in Raleigh has received a foreclosure filing in May 2011. Statewide, one in every 1,584 homes had foreclosure activity, but compared to the nation, the state ranks in the medium to low range. Raleigh’s top five zip codes for foreclosures are 27610, 27604, 27616, 27603 and 27614.

Foreclosures are down though. In Wake County, foreclosure starts from March to May of 2011 totaled 1,154, which is 20 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

The amount of vacant rental housing is usually higher in Raleigh than in Wake County or the Raleigh-Cary area, according to the City of Raleigh Consolidated Plan 2010-2015. The reason is the high number of students attending Raleigh’s many colleges and universities.

Single-family detached homes still account for almost half of the Raleigh’s housing units, though, according to the 2008 American Community Survey.

Options
Cash buyers are being seen more frequently as investors snap up properties at lower rates, according to several Raleigh realtors, but for those with more modest means other options exist.

If you make less than 50 percent of the Area Median Income (i.e. $27,200 for a household of one or $38,850 for a household of four) the City of Raleigh’s Affordable Housing Program may present options for rental property. Home buyer and home repair options are also available, including the Citywide Home Ownership Program.

Shawn McNamara, program manager of the Raleigh Community Development Department, sees Raleigh as a special case. Even though there have been cuts in community development block grants and a drop in HUD’s home investment partnership funding, the city itself invests in affordable housing.

Raleigh’s last affordable housing bond was approved in 2005 and is in its last year of funding, but the council plans to put a $16 million affordable housing bond on the ballot this fall.

According to McNamara, “Not every city does affordable housing bonds but Raleigh has done three: in 1990, 2000 and 2005. Our city council supports them and the voters have approved them, which I think speaks pretty well of Raleigh.”Similar Posts:

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