While reflecting on the current affordable housing crisis happening in Atlanta and across the country, Margaret Stagmeier, a founding partner of TriStar Real Estate Investments, says the cost of housing has increased because it has become a commodity due to technology.
“It used to be that housing, apartments and single-family homes were owned by local landlords, but with technology, housing now can be owned and managed from all over the world,” said Stagmeier, who purchased her first property in 1998.
Over the years, Stagmeier has managed 3,000 blighted properties across Atlanta and transformed them into affordable housing units. In addition, she recently wrote the book “Blighted: A Story of People, Politics, and an American Housing Miracle.”
On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Stagmeier talked with show host Rose Scott about the plight of affordable housing, her passion for transforming the lives of her tenants through creating stable and safe communities. She also discussed the direct connection between housing, healthcare and education.
“Housing and education have a strong relationship. So, if landlords were willing to do afterschool programs and keep their rents affordable and stable, then children will have much better academic outcomes,” explained Stagmeier.
