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Indybay Feature

The Rising Housing Prices In Sonoma County

by Caroline Griffin
In this piece I am discussing the difficulties and challenges Sonoma County residents face with the increasing housing prices. I am analyzing a Press Democrat article that looks at the negative effects of this housing crisis.
To Whom It May Concern:

Sonoma County in the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in housing prices like never before. This increase has been one of the greatest in California history. The rising prices are driving hundreds of families and residents out of their homes. According to Zillow, home values in Rohnert Park have increased 8.2% in the last several years. These trends are remarkably devastating to Sonoma County residents, and young students in particular. Sonoma County this past spring recorded some of the fastest rent increases in the entire United States. In California, this spike has is one of the highest in the entire state of California.

In a recent article from a local Sonoma County newspaper, Press Democrat, this issue was introduced and highlighted. “Belinda Andrews, a broker associate with Century 21 in Santa Rosa, represented the sellers for a number of Windsor’s short sales, and she found it striking how the town’s housing market has changed over the past four or five years. During the downturn, “we couldn’t get rid of the houses,” Andrews recalled. “Now people are just begging for them” (Digitale, Robert May 2015). It seems as though there has been a complete alter in the housing market and it is becoming increasingly complicated to come by affordable living. For college students this spike has been detrimental. Living on campus for most students can be extremely costly. Sonoma County in recent decades has been a very reasonable and affordable place for students to live. For Sonoma State students specifically, at one point in time it was more affordable to live off campus then in on-campus living.

The Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live not only in California, but also in the entire country. San Francisco is recently the most expensive urban city to live in compared to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. There are more foreclosures in Sonoma Country in the last few years in addition to the rise of housing markets. It is becoming nearly impossible for some residents to continue to pay their increasing mortgages and monthly rent payments. I believe this issue is prevalent and needs to be greatly discussed and analyzed.
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