Many in the Ozarks finding it hard to adjust to high rent, housing prices

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) - Rent and housing markets skyrocketed over the past year making it harder to find a place to live.

Lori Hilt is living in Ozark but is looking to be on the move.

“Someone is taking advantage, I mean, the housing markets ridiculous,” said Hilt.

Hilt said finding a place to afford is hard.

”The same house two years ago to the date, they’ve doubled in what you would pay for them now,” said Hilt.

Hilt is one of many facing the housing and renting crisis, with price hikes everywhere you turn. Hilt said her rent has gone up over the years, and she is being forced to leave, making her spend most of her day looking at listings.

” I spent about five to six hours each day,” said Hilt.

Sonya Wells, the owner of The Firm Real Estate LLC, said the current situation goes back to supply and demand.

”There’s been such a big influx of for a need of rentals that people are scrapping around trying to find places,” said Wells.

Wells said she has been in this market since 1988, and the combination of the pandemic, construction prices, supply chain issues, and more is a large storm to tackle.

”It’s just a strange market,” said Wells. “I mean, it’s kind of one of the strangest markets I’ve ever seen.”

Hilt said this strange market has been a burden.

”Nothing you can do,” said Hilt. “If I had kids that were young, I would be having panic attacks.”

Hilt said she does have a safety net of going and living with family but doesn’t see how young struggling families can go through this and hopes for change.

”I don’t know where people go, and I just think that’s wrong,” said Hilt. “We can do better than that. The fact that we’re allowing this to happen kind of is really aggravating.”

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