Great Barrington — Through its homeownership program, Central Berkshire Habitat For Humanity is looking for a homeowner for a house on 40 Grove Street. The organization acquired the property through a bid from the town’s Affordable Land Trust in Great Barrington in February 2022.
The property is a three-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home that is on 0.290 acres of land. According to the town’s property database, the house was built in 1910 and is valued at $105,400, the land valued at $81,100, with the total property valued at $186,500.
According to Central Berkshire Habitat For Humanity’s website, the organization partners with qualified families and individuals to help them purchase homes.
Organization Executive Director Carolyn Valli told The Berkshire Edge that the house has been renovated and restored. “When we purchased it, there was still a considerable amount of debris in the place,” Valli said. “There were multiple dumpsters that we had to rent to take care of it. Like with any rehabilitation product project, you always know that you’re going to find something. But in this case, there were many things that we found.”
Valli said that, despite the messy conditions, volunteers from the organization went forward with renovating the house. “We had to do quite a bit of work on the foundation, and there was tons of insulation work that had to be done,” Valli said. “We also installed new floors, a new laundry room, and a bathroom on the first floor. The house will also be comfortable and more energy efficient. Overall, it will become a beautiful new home.”
Valli said that potential homeowners can apply by emailing homes@BerkshireHabitat.org or calling 413-442-3181, ext. 9. The organization will go through the Department of Housing and Community Development to run a lottery for the home. “I don’t like calling it a lottery because it’s not a scratch ticket, but it’s an equal opportunity so that everybody gets a shot at being able to purchase the home,” she said.
The house can be purchased through an affordable mortgage offered by third-party lenders who offer low-interest rates and down payments on mortgage packages. “We help the potential buyer through the process, including getting pre-qualified for a mortgage, financial education, and financial coaching,” she said. “Once the home buyer is selected from the equal opportunity lottery, they then will be doing sweat equity alongside the staff and volunteers that are rehabbing the house. So they have skin in the game when they’re at the end of the day, and they can feel like I was a part of making my house happen.”
Valli defined “sweat equity” as “when you are working alongside others, building, or in this case, rehabbing your home. So you learn how to do sheet rocking, you learn how to paint, and you learn how to maintain your home after you own it. So you grow your toolbox of skills that will allow you to be a good, successful homeowner and also maintain your property after the sale.”
Valli said that this is the first housing project in Great Barrington that the organization has worked on. “There are so few affordable housing locations in Great Barrington,” she said. “There are so few properties that are sold at a rate where most working people of the community can afford it. They are the fabric of our community who work in our schools, and emergency departments. They really cannot afford to purchase a home on an open market because their wages can’t keep up with what the housing payments would be because the values of housing in Great Barrington are so high. It’s like this in many places in Berkshire County. For example, my son is renting an apartment in Pittsfield at $1,300 a month and he works two jobs. His girlfriend works a decent job. But even at that, they are paying a huge amount. Over 50 percent of what they earn goes towards housing costs. That’s what you are seeing happening all over Berkshire County. Young people are not going to stay if they can’t afford to live here.”
Valli said that the organization is continuing work on other affordable housing projects in Pittsfield, Dalton, and a large project on North Plain Road in Housatonic. “The housing crisis really should be very important to everyone, not just people looking for a home,” Valli added.
For more information about Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, visit the organization’s website.
