Houston-area Realtors: Need your opinion

[Andrew Taylor]

I keep seeing news stories about the affordable housing crisis, and I'd like your opinions on that issue, specifically as it relates to Houston and the surrounding area. Not necessarily talking about section 8 stuff, but just general housing priced so a larger segment of the population can afford it.

• IS there a lack of affordable housing?
• What constitutes affordable housing? Is it a rent less than X dollars monthly? A mortgage less than X dollars monthly?
• Does it have more to do with availability of financing than with total cost?
• What am I not asking that I should be?

Saw a story yesterday that said there are something like 40,000 people on a waiting list for affordable housing in Houston alone. That seems like an opportunity to me, but it's also a market I'm so unfamiliar with that I'm not even sure what I don't know. Realty pros seemed like a good place to start.