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both maintaining homeowners in their homes and converting rental <br />properties into homeownership opportunities. <br />Some new homeownership opportunities under $80,000 are available in <br />Carrboro as attached townhouse or condominium units; however, many <br />of these are two- bedroom units, not suitable to a family of four. More <br />recent development proposals in Carrboro have been for housing units <br />at prices above $100,000. <br />Orange County Habitat for Humanity has an aggressive construction <br />program, with a new subdivision underway that will eventually house 35 <br />families. The Habitat model has been very successful in Orange County, <br />and continued support of Habitat for Humanity will be important to <br />meeting the need for homeownership opportunities for very low income <br />families. <br />One important concern about housing market pressure in Chapel Hill is <br />the loss of black homeownership, particularly in the Northside and Pine <br />Knolls neighborhoods. Pressure from student - driven investors have <br />driven up the prices of homes in the traditional black communities in <br />Chapel Hill, preventing other low- and moderate- income black families <br />from purchasing homes in the communities. The units, often through an <br />estate sale, are sold to investors and rented to students. This market <br />phenomenon has resulted in the reduction of black land ownership and <br />neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. <br />Mobile Homes and Manufactured Housing. Another source of affordable <br />housing in Orange County is mobile homes, comprising 16.4% of the <br />County's total housing in 1987. While mobile homes do not appreciate <br />in the same way as conventional homes and in many cases the <br />homeowner does not own the land underneath a mobile home, it may be <br />the most affordable option for some families. Very few standards exist <br />for mobile home parks, and the Orange County Low and Moderate <br />Income Housing Task Force Report stresses the need for some guidance <br />for park owners to protect the mobile home owners who often cannot <br />afford to move their home. <br />Manufactured housing, which is conventional -style housing constructed <br />in a factory and delivered to the site, is another affordable alternative. <br />Recent improvements in construction technology have created a product <br />similar in quality to a house constructed on -site, with features that result <br />in affordable prices. <br />13 <br />