Man, this question hits close to home because I hear the frustration from buyers every single day who are looking in Fort Mill, Waxhaw, and throughout the Charlotte metro area. The short answer is we've got a perfect storm of factors making affordable housing scarce. First, we simply don't have enough homes. Charlotte has been growing like crazy – people are moving here for jobs, weather, and quality of life, but we haven't built enough houses to keep up with demand. This is especially true in desirable areas like Ballantyne, Weddington, and Indian Land where developable land is getting scarce

When you have more buyers than houses, pricesgo up – basic supply and demand. COVID made things worse by creating a huge surge in home buying while simultaneously disrupting construction. Lumber prices went crazy, labor got scarce, and it took longer to build homes. Many existing homeowners decided not to sell because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of buying in a competitive market, which reduced inventory even more. Let's also talk about investor activity. When homes in areas like Marvin and Pineville started appreciating rapidly, investors jumped in to buy properties as rentals or flips

They can often pay cash and close quickly, making it harder for regular families to compete. Rising interest rates have made things more complicated – they've reduced some demand but also made monthly payments higher for everyone else. Here's the tough love part: "affordable" is relative. What feels expensive in Fort Mill today might seem reasonable compared to where prices could be in five years. The Charlotte metro area is still more affordable than many major markets, but I get that it doesn't feel that way when you're trying to buy your first home or upgrade

Focus on areas with good growth potential where you can build equity, even if it means starting with a smaller home or looking in emerging neighborhoods.