(By MATT PIKE)
A new year is bringing new opportunities in some new realms, as a national study has shown how affordable a place St. Joseph can be to live.
City Manager Mike Schumacher says in talking to realtors they seem constantly amazed at what is available here in St. Joseph
“They’re amazed at the price points compared to the KC metro as a whole,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnnity show. “So, we need to tell our story on that.”
Schumacher says people need to know about the opportunities they have in finding housing here
“Where perhaps you can purchase a home considerably less, have the lowest taxes around the KC metro by far, including the county just to the south of us, significantly lower taxes,” Schumacher explains.
Schumacher says the current median pricing in St. Joseph of $227,000 remains well below the national average, and rental costs remain accessible as well.
The city has also gone to lengths to support growth in the community, creating a business liaison, that focuses solely on the needs of businesses and how the city can help.
Schumacher says one of the biggest things they’ve heard from builders and business owners is speed to market
“How soon can they get a house build and get it on the market and sold so they can move onto the next one and cut down on the overhead of construction loans, et cetera,” Schumacher says. “So, waiting on the city for a week to come out and do something is money to them, so those are the gaps and opportunities.”
Schumacher says while it wasn’t a big problem before, he says the focus is about continuing to improve and make things easier for residents.
Property taxes in St. Joseph remain the most affordable throughout the metro Kansas City area, making it easier to purchase or build a home in the area.
Schumacher says at a time where finding housing is crucial for that workforce to live in
“Folks don’t want to drive 45 minutes to work, they just don’t, it may sound great in the beginning but ultimately it’s like hey wait a minute I could live in St. Joseph and get an hour and half of my life back every day,” Schumacher says. “But in order to do that, we need good, quality, affordable, safe housing.”
Schumacher says before a project in partnership with the county at the North Shoppes to build a housing complex, there had not been a new apartment built in St. Joseph in 21 years.
Schumacher also encourages people to look around, and to let people know that there is housing that can be found here, and in working with the city to build, they are working to make it painless and easy as possible.
(You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.)