Too Little Supply And Too Much Demand Are Driving Denver’s Housing Woes

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Photo: Denver Renters Market | Home For Rent Sign - JHill
A house for rent sign in Washington Park West displays an average rent for the neighborhood. According to RentCafe, the neighborhood average is 18 percent higher than the average rent for Denver overall.

Most of Denver's housing woes stem from a basic economics problem: too much demand, too little supply. This supply and demand issue is causing a lot of side effects, such as remodeling rates hitting record highs as homeowners can't afford to move up from their start houses. And while apartment construction is on the rise, most of those units are suited to renters, not buyers. CPR News business reporter Ben Markus talked to Colorado Matters about tracing today's problems back to the Great Recession 10 years ago, and the new NPR housing series, "Shut Out."