Habitat for Humanity warns rising purchase costs push first-time buyers out of Walden market

Zacharia Watson and Kent Henson, representing Habitat for Humanity’s Montpelier office, told the Walden Selectboard on July 13 that increases in home purchase prices have made it increasingly difficult for many first-time buyers to afford homes. They said Habitat provides purchase-assistance programs for households who can demonstrate the ability to make payments, but that new home construction is currently a year or more away.

The presentation framed the issue as a supply-and-cost problem rather than a demand-only question. Watson and Henson described Habitat’s role helping qualifying buyers access existing opportunities rather than rapidly expanding local construction; no funding request or formal action was recorded in the minutes. The board did not take formal action on the presentation during the meeting.