A Starter Home That Isn’t

We’ve Priced Our Community Out of Reach

There’s a two-bedroom, one-bath home for sale in my neighborhood in Walla Walla. Built in the late 1940s, it has not been updated. The roof is near the end of its life. The windows are single-pane. There is likely no insulation in the walls and very little in the ceiling. It is exactly what many would consider a starter home.

But it is not affordable.

The reduced listing price is $352,000. Even if a first-time buyer qualifies for an FHA loan, assuming federal support programs are still standing amid Trump/Baumgartner/DOGE destruction, they’ll need a 3.5 percent down payment plus about $10,000 in closing costs. That’s over $22,000 just to get in the door.

Then come the monthly costs. With current mortgage rates, property taxes, and insurance, the monthly payment comes to around $3,100. That’s $37,200 a year just to stay housed and they haven’t even bought water or sewer service yet.

A person would need to bring home $17.88 per hour, after taxes, just to afford that payment. Washington’s minimum wage is $16.66. But that isn’t the real problem. Banks will not approve a loan if your debt-to-income ratio is too high. And with that payment, a buyer would need to earn between $50 and $60 per hour to realistically qualify. That’s more than what Registered Nurses make at the lower end in this area. It is also more than the starting salary posted for a currently open Optometrist position.

We’ve made it impossible for many people to stay in Walla Walla. Even those who want to remain and serve the community they grew up in are being pushed out. This is not just a housing crisis. It is driving an affordability crisis. That affordability crisis is creating a healthcare crisis and a homelessness crisis.

It’s all connected.

Young families are forced to leave or live on the edge. Teachers, nurses, and first responders, the backbone of any functioning community, are being priced out. New professionals who might move here are choosing elsewhere because they simply cannot afford to build a life here. And those who remain are stretched thin, stressed, and increasingly at risk.

Eastern Washington is in crisis, and our local and state leaders do not seem to have a plan. Some may not even acknowledge the depth of the problem. But we can no longer afford silence or inaction.

If we want a future where people can live, work, and raise families here, we must make different choices. We must build more housing. We must support policies that increase supply and stabilize costs. We must advocate for livable wages and prioritize essential workers. We must recognize that every issue is connected and act accordingly.

Because right now, the message to the next generation is loud and clear: You cannot afford to live in the place you call home.