The effort to ensure that everyone who works in the Centre Region can afford to live here as well continues tonight when a group
of people whose job is selling homes will auction off a soon-to-be-built house in State College or Bellefonte. The Centre County Association of Realtors is hosting the event to benefit its American Dream Housing Fund. When the fund balance reaches $100,000, the money will be invested with the Centre County Community Foundation. Interest on the investment will be used, in conjunction with other affordable-housing programs, to assist homebuyers in Centre County. That assistance is as welcome as it is needed. According to the association, the average price of a home in the Centre Region last year was $260,121, more than $100,000 above the price of a home elsewhere in the county. And according to everyone, the economy is dramatically worse than it was when the serious lack of workforce housing in the State College area was given voice &mdash and a determination to address it.
The house &mdash which will be donated by CDG Properties and built on Whisper Ridge Drive in State College or in Bellefonte’s Burnham Farm Estates &mdash is tonight’s drawing card, but many other items will be available for silent and live bids. Among them are sports memorabilia &mdash always a Happy Valley favorite &mdash jewelry and artwork.