Realtors tell county committee low inventory, aging stock and policy proposals limit workforce housing

Representatives of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors told the Northampton County Economic Development Committee on July 3 that the local housing market faces a severe shortage of available homes, aging housing stock and a patchwork of municipal policies that complicate repairs and rentals.

The Realtors said the county currently has about 1.3 months of housing inventory — far below the six months considered a balanced market — and urged collaboration among municipalities, developers and county officials to increase workforce housing supply.

The Realtors’ president, Michael Bernadine, said the association’s footprint includes Lehigh and Northampton counties plus Monroe, Carbon, southern Schuylkill and northern Bucks counties and that local housing trends ripple outward. "One of the biggest things that I know we're focusing on, especially this year during my presidency, has been building the relationships with our municipalities," Bernadine said.

Asher, the association’s…