Housing

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1) Construction is being done to five one-bedroom and five two-bedroom luxury apartments Wednesday at The Villager apartments. 2) Construction workers from Del Toro Concrete Works Inc. smooth out concrete on the steps leading up to a new housing unit Monday in Beal Street Square Apartments. 3) Renovated homes line River Drive at the Mill Village in Rocky Mount. 4) Renovated homes line River Drive at the Mill Village in Rocky Mount.

By Lindell John Kay

Tired of the hustle and bustle of the Triangle, a lot of folks are looking elsewhere, with many sights set on Rocky Mount.

The Twin Counties with Rocky Mount at its center is the new home to retirees and millennials alike, according to local real estate agents.

To start, Rocky Mount is within half a day’s travel to the beaches and mountains on U.S. 64 and located halfway between Florida and New York on Interstate 95.

Houses cost less and property tax rates are lower than many other areas. The housing market is on an upward trend, from 132 homes for sale in June 2016, 485 homes in June 2017 and 520 in June of this year, according to Zillow, an online real estate marketer.

In addition to those single-family homes, there are usually several multifamily homes listed.

Sixty-two percent of Rocky Mount residents own their homes. The median sales price for homes in Rocky Mount from March 21 to June 20 was $131,750 based on 156 home sales. The average price per square foot for Rocky Mount was $73, an increase of 4 percent compared to the same period last year. The median monthly apartment rent for May 20 to Jun 20 was $775, according to Trulia, a real estate market website.

For folks who find such prices a little out of reach, Rocky Mount also has a robust stock of affordable housing. Stable, quality and affordable housing is key to sustainable, strong and growing communities, according to the Rocky Mount Housing Authority. The Section 8 agency is committed to helping families move from dependency to self-sufficiency.

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