The median price of a single-family home in Kootenai County reached $525,000 in 2024, according to data from the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors. The figure represented a stark challenge for the local workforce — 70 percent of local workers wanted to own a home but could not afford one.
The Housing Solutions Partnership reported that an affordable home for a household earning the area’s median income of $93,500 would cost about $410,000, requiring a $60,000 down payment. That left a gap of more than $100,000 between what workers could afford and what the market demanded.
The “Miracle on Britton” project in Post Falls emerged as a key pilot program, offering deed-restricted, shared-equity homes at prices between $290,000 and $430,000 for qualifying local workers. Applications opened in late June with construction targeted for September.