COLUMBUS, Ohio – There is good news on two economic fronts: House prices are rising and gas prices are falling.
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Housing prices in Ohio tumbled starting around 2007 and had not improved by the time Gov. John Kasich took office in 2011. In 2014, prices are climbing back to levels seen before the recession in much of the state as the overall economy has improved.
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency has gathered numbers that show the median price for homes over a 12-month period ending July 2014 was $103,000, compared with $84,000 over a 12-month period ending in July 2011.
According to the Columbus Board of Realtors, the median sale price in July was $152,500, compared with $129,900 in 2011.
Housing has not been much of an issue on the campaign trail for Kasich or Democrat Ed FitzGerald. A Kasich spokesman points out that five of the most affordable cities in the U.S. are in Ohio. FitzGerald counters that the state and Kasich’s administration has not been tough enough on predatory lenders.