IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The High Desert is positioned to become a booming housing market, according to a local housing expert.
“The High Desert has a lot of open [residential] lots that are ready to be built on,” said John Mulville, Southern California regional manager for Metrostudy, a residential real estate data and research firm. “That’s something you don’t see very often in other markets.”
Mulville spoke at a luncheon Wednesday in Victorville that studied the present, and future, state of the High Desert housing market. The event, which featured representatives from the public and private sector, was sponsored by the Baldy View chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California.
Officials in the High Desert need to act quickly if they’re going to take advantage of their residential land surplus and a strong economy, Mulville told the crowd of about 200 at the Hilton Garden Inn.
“Housing is all about the economy, and right now we’re in full recovery,” Mulville said. “There is no recession in sight. You need a strong housing market if you’re going to get companies to come up here.”
Not enough houses are being built in California, and that trend is likely to get worse, said Carlos Rodriguez, the Baldy View chapter’s chief executive officer.
By the end of next year, San Bernardino County will be about 65,000 housing units short of what it needs to meet demand, Rodriguez said during his opening remarks.
Rodriguez called for a statewide economic stimulus package aimed at the housing market, and noted that only 728 housing permits were issued in the High Desert last year.
“I think we can do better than that,” Rodriguez said.
