Kate Pezzulli any point in taking rights away from people over their own autonomy of their own bod- ies,” she said. “It makes absolutely no sense to me. It’s asinine that it’s 2022 and we’re lit- erally moving back 50, 60 years.” By 2 p.m., roughly an hour after starting their march, the group made it back to City Hall. Some went home, and others stayed and continued to rally. “I don’t understand why we’re repealing laws that literally just give people a right to their own body, that’s it … it doesn’t make any sense to me,” Oxnar said, explaining that she had an abortion in the past. “I would do it again given the chance,” she said. “I don’t regret it, and it saved my life [and has] saved many other women’s lives, and I value that more than I value what a bunch of people that don’t know me, don’t know any- thing about my life, have to say about it.” ▼ HOUSING SOME PEOPLE LOOKING TO SELL THEIR HOMES ARE AVOIDING INVESTORS. BY JACOB VAUGHN HOUSING HAZARDS up properties across the country, including in North Texas. The trend is altering the housing supply and driving up prices, Narey said. Over the last year, though, a growing number of his customers have preferred selling to individuals or couples instead of what are known as institutional buyers. Some are willing to sell to whomever J makes the right offer, but Narey said many are choosing to do business with people who want to live in the home they’re buying. “Many folks want to sell to someone who is actually going to live in the property as op- posed to just using it as a passive income ad- dition to their portfolios,” he explained. “There is such a dearth of inventory,” Na- rey added. “That is the real problem.” A recent report by the National Association of Realtors found that home sales and rental markets are suffering from an undersupply of housing stock. Year-over-year home sale prices are increasing at a double-digit pace, rents on single-family properties are up 13% and multi-family property rents are up 11%. Investors are making the situation yet more complicated, according to the report. In ay Narey, a local real estate agent with Keller Williams and 20 years of expe- rience, has watched as investors buy Pro-choice demonstrators gathered outside City Hall. Texas, investor-owned properties make up 28% of the housing stock, more than any other state. In Dallas County, institutional buyers like hedge funds and corporations bought 43% of homes sold in 2021; in Tarrant, they purchased 54%. Low interest rates in 2020 and 2021 led investors to look for opportunities with higher returns. They also wanted assets that offered “a hedge against inflation,” the NAR report explained. The result has been insti- tutional investors buying up properties to flip or turn into rentals. This takes up housing stock and drives up prices whether you’re buying or renting. Generally, these investors are buying in strong, high-income housing and rental markets with “rising household formation” and a lot of residents of color. Markets with a higher share of institutional investors tend to have twice as many Black households. Even though they offer about the same amount as regular buyers, people might be tempted to sell to these investors because they offer cash, buy as is or offer a guaran- teed purchase. A majority of the properties they buy, though, are either converted into single-family rentals or resold. This could take away housing stock for potential home- owners and contribute to higher prices, something Narey’s customers are trying to combat by selling to individuals. During an April meeting, City Council member Jaynie Schultz asked if they were developing policy to address the effects in- vestors are having on the market. Dallas Housing Director David Noguera. pointed out how Canada has dealt with similar issues, saying the country “restricts how many foreign investors can come into your market and buy up your real estate.” But City Council member Chad West isn’t so sure that restricting investors is the answer. Instead, he said, the city should be fo- cused on beefing up its housing supply. He knows the investors have an effect on the market, but he’s skeptical that they’re the sole reason for the supply shortage and in- creased costs. “We are not building enough homes both for sale and for rent in Dallas to accommodate everyone that wants to move to Dallas,” West said. “That’s why prices are going up so much.” We bring sophistication with a twist to the metaphysical and holistic markets with products, classes and services. We have locations in Dallas, Carrollton & Frisco. 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