IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – As Idahoans statewide grapple with housing prices, the Gem State Housing Alliance organized a panel of experts Monday at The Waterfront at Snake River Landing to dive into one of the region’s most pressing economic issues.
The panel discussed ways to increase the supply of housing in the region to stabilize costs and make it more affordable.
“The demand for housing has skyrocketed, and that has really just upped the price of homes across the state,” said the alliance’s Advocacy Director Hollie Conde. “We know that there are a lot of contributing factors to the cost of housing, right – labor costs, lumber cost, lending, land costs is a big one and, of course, the laws.”
The rising cost of construction materials, impact fees and regulations raise price tags for home owners and builders alike.
“I have seen the prices increase and increase, and I really am frustrated about how it is working, and then how we can make it better for our future children and those people around us?” asked Idaho Home Builders Association President Todd Webb.
Lenders also recognize the unsustainability of current market pressures.
“When I look ahead for five years, my biggest concern is just the price and the monthly payments not going to keep up with … our local wages aren’t going to be able to support that,” said Idaho Central Credit Union Loan Officer Trina Batte.
Panelists emphasized that young people starting out may have to adjust their expectations when purchasing a first home.
“This year, probably about 25 percent of my business has been first-time home buyers. And there’s probably another four of those who simply gave up, because they decided, ’We’ll wait. We’ll just keep renting,’” said Julie Anglesey, Berkshire Hathaway Silver Hawk East Idaho broker owner. “So that’s the hard thing, or they have a choice. They can stretch their budgets. They can compromise in location or condition.”
The housing alliance advocates for building more middle housing options to help fill the gap.
“When we talk about middle housing, it’s somewhere in between that apartment building and that single family detached house,” Conde said. “So duplexes, townhomes. fourplexes, fiveplexes, cottage courts right where you have a bunch of really smaller homes that are clustered around a courtyard.”
One local legislator is concerned about the difference between average income and average home costs.
“Right now, the average individual qualifies for about $300,000 to $320,000,” said State Rep. Erin Bingham, (R)-District 32. “Yet in Bonneville County, our average sales price of a home is about $430,000. So, as you can see, we have a gap.”
Seventy-two percent of Idahoans want legislators to find solutions for housing affordability, according to a 2025 poll by the Gem State Housing Alliance.
The group advocates for free market solutions and estimates that government permits compose 25 to 40 percent of the price of a home.
“We need more housing supply,” Conde said, “But we need kind of a specific type of home, right, that is more affordable without having to put in complex subsidies or get money from the federal government to make those projects pencil.”
Participants recommended “local reforms in zoning, minimum lot sizes, setbacks, parking minimums, and regulations such as sprinkler requirements, while maintaining safety.”
They also discussed “property tax reform and indexing the homeowners exemption to home prices.”
Idaho faces a shortage of about 60,000 homes, Conde shared.
The Gem State Housing Alliance is holding community conversations statewide to compile and advocate for policy reforms.
