‘I just feel like we’re getting pushed around’: Renters of 30 duplexes in NE Bend given 90 days to move out
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- A neighborhood of 30 rental duplexes off Dean Swift Road and Nate's Place in northeast Bend are being sold by developers. The current renters received notices two weeks ago, giving them 90 days to move out -- or agree to buy them.
They're being sold by HLM, inc. for a starting price of about $300,000 each. The sellers gave tenants the option to buy, but many say they can't afford it.
Some shared their frustration on social media, saying they're scrambling to find a new home in time.
One renter has lived in a duplex for less than a year. He's found a new place, but not without paying a higher rent.
"it just causes so much stress," Jacob Wilson said Tuesday, "Also, the financial part of it. I'm lucky I had money saved up, or else I don't know if I'll ever be able to do it."
"I just feel like we're getting like pushed around," he added, "And this is your home, you know, if you live here. And that's kind of really hard, to just uproot everything and leave again."
The sellers told NewsChannel 21 in a statement it's part of an effort to create more affordable housing.
The homes are being sold under market value, they said, and have already received interest from new buyers. Tenants were also offered lower monthly mortgage payments if they choose to buy the home. Two tenants so far have signed contracts, and the sellers say all renters will have an opportunity to buy the home before other offers are accepted.
