VHFA invited bids from investors Friday for the "Housing for All" initiative passed by Vermont lawmakers earlier this year.  The proceeds from this financing will be used to create and rehabilitate an estimated 650 rental and owned homes across the state.

"We consistently hear about how widespread the lack of affordable, decent housing is in many parts of Vermont," said Governor Phil Scott. "By leveraging other funds, this investment will help create much-needed homes that are affordable for working Vermonters at the middle and lower end of the wage scale."

Governor Phil Scott has appointed Thomas S. Leavitt of Waterbury Center to VHFA's Board of Commissioners.

Leavitt, has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Northfield Savings Bank since 2014.  Prior to Northfield Savings Bank, Leavitt was President and CEO of MountainOne Financial in North Adams, MA and before that he was on the senior management team of Merchants Bank in Vermont for 16 years.

He serves on the Boards of Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, and the Flynn Center. He is an active member of the Vermont Financial Literacy Commission.

In each of Vermont's northernmost counties, the median price of homes sold during the first half of 2017 was more than 10% higher than a decade earlier, according to our recent analysis of VT Tax Department data on non-vacation homes. 

Home price data through June 2017 for every town and county in the state was recently added to the Vermont Housing Data website's community profiles. 

Chittenden County led the state with a 20% increase during the decade, bringing the median price there among all non-vacation homes to $287,000. In contrast, Windham and Bennington counties experienced price declines during the decade of 12% and 10%, respectively.