Even if you haven't been in the market to buy a house, it's hard to miss that prices have been shooting through the roof. People are paying tens of thousands of dollars above the asking price and homes don't stay on the market for very long. It's great if you're selling your home, but a big problem if you're trying to buy, especially as a first-time homebuyer. At the same time, rents are increasing so people at the bottom of the ol' ecomomic ladder are feeling more pinched than ever.
In this week's cover story, staff reporter Christina Duran takes a look at why prices are climbing so fast—a lack of new houses and an influx of people from places with houses that cost a lot more than Tucson have a lot to do with it. She also looks at why more houses aren't being built, which has a lot to do with higher material costs and a lack of labor. And she looks at how those higher rents are making it harder for many people to find a decent place to live. It's a thorough and insightful report.
Elsewhere in the book, we look at why the recall effort against state lawmaker Mark Finchem fizzled out; as Pride Month draws to a close, ASU student journalist Mingson Lau looks at why gay Asians going to school in the United States often have trouble coming out to their parents back home; columnist Tom Danehy is astonished that so many Arizonans are balking at the chance to get vaccinated against COVID-19; movie critic Bob Grimm enjoys the new Rita Moreno biopic; associate editor Jeff Gardner introduces you to Samantha Bounkeua, who is making music under the moniker Rogue Violin; Tucson Weedly columnist David Abbott looks at the plight of the medical marijuana certification clinics, who have lost a lot of business thanks to a variety of factors; calendar editor Emily Dieckman has a whole bunch of fun stuff to do in City Week; and we've got more about what's happening this weekend at Reid Park Zoo's Summer Safari Night, the new indoor show at the Gaslight Theater and plenty more, including Dan Savage's sex column, a preview of your destiny in this week's horoscope and the best cartoons in Tucson.
See you at the open house!
— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor
Hear Nintz talk about what to do for fun this weekend at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays during the World Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.
