Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promoted his “Keep Texas Affordable” agenda during a campaign stop in Socorro as part of his re-election bid.
Abbott discussed lowering homeownership costs through initiatives in his “Keep Texas Affordable” agenda during a Wednesday, Aug. 5, stop at a home in the Tropicana Homes development in Socorro, Texas.
He is facing Democrat Gina Hinojosa in the November General Election.
Abbott announced plans to speed up the homebuilding process by allowing pre-approved housing designs to be built in other parts of the state and expanding third-party review and inspection for permitting. These initiatives will shorten permitting timelines, reduce construction costs by thousands of dollars per home, and make homeownership more obtainable for Texans across the state, Abbott claimed.
The move comes as part of Abbott’s latest affordability initiative.
Abbott: New homeowners could save thousands
“We want to make sure that more Texans are able to get into their own home,” Abbott said. “We’re speeding up permitting to lower the cost of building a home. Permitting and inspection delays add thousands of dollars to the cost of a family home. The legislation I’m proposing would allow the use of third-party inspectors from the beginning.”
According to data by Abbott’s campaign, limiting the red tape in the homebuilding process could save up to $9,650 and two months on new home construction.
The announcement expands on Abbott’s “Keep Texas Affordable” agenda, which includes a five-point property tax plan, a freeze on tuition and fees at Texas public colleges and universities, the Texas roof fortification program, incentives for safe drivers to receive lower insurance premiums, a new Essential Benefits Health Insurance plan, caps on the cost of life-saving medications, efforts to reduce housing costs by ending local building mandates, and expanded consumer choice in electricity providers.
“El Paso and Socorro have set the model for the rest of Texas,” Abbott said. “They are among the best communities in the state for building permits and they get them approved faster than so many of the larger cities in the state. They already adopted these third-party inspectors to ensure the process will be completed that much faster.”
Abbott noted El Paso officials have testified in Austin to expound on the benefits of cutting red tape from new homebuilding projects.
First-time homeowner Joe Soltero, Jr., whose new home hosted Abbott, noted that the moves to make houses more affordable opened the door for many like him.
“Going through the process of buying this home was overwhelming at first, but he’s changing it for the better,” Soltero said. “Even his other initiatives could still affect me because I have family that will be next to buy a home in their future. With wages stagnant and the price of everything rising, the possibility to afford a home is a big deal, especially for El Paso.”
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas homebuilding could get faster, cheaper under Abbott proposal
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
