By Nicky Smith
May 24, 2025
Candidate for Greensboro City Council
The numbers don’t lie; they paint a troubling picture for our community. According to a recent Fox 8 report, 95% of homes on the market in Guilford County are priced at $300,000 or above. That leaves only 5% of homes available for most first-time buyers—families earning between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, who are the backbone of our community.
When I read about Nathan Morrison and his wife, who’ve been house hunting for over a year only to conclude they need to wait three more years to become competitive buyers, I see the faces of countless Greensboro families trapped in this crisis. This isn’t just about housing statistics—it’s about the American Dream slipping away from hardworking middle-class families who’ve done everything right.
Grace Clifford, a local real estate broker, captures the urgency perfectly: homes under $300,000 are disappearing within hours of hitting the market. Families are making offers sight unseen, with inspectors walking through homes because buyers have less than 24 hours to decide. This isn’t a healthy market—it’s a crisis that demands immediate action.
As someone who has spent 45 years building businesses and solving complex problems, I understand that effective solutions require more than good intentions. They require leadership that can work with all stakeholders—developers, builders, city planners, and residents—to create real pathways to homeownership.
The path forward isn’t complicated, but it requires the political will to implement common-sense policies that many on our current City Council have been reluctant to embrace:
Streamlining the Approval Process: Lengthy permitting delays add thousands of dollars to every home’s cost. I will work to cut through bureaucratic red tape that artificially inflates housing prices without compromising safety or quality standards.
Incentivizing Starter Home Development: We need targeted incentives for builders who commit to developing homes in the $200,000-$280,000 range. This includes exploring density bonuses for projects that reserve a percentage of units for middle-income buyers.
Public-Private Partnerships: My business background has taught me the power of collaboration. We can work with developers to identify underutilized parcels where mixed-income housing makes sense for both the community and the market.
Infrastructure Investment: Strategic infrastructure improvements in emerging neighborhoods can make previously overlooked areas attractive for affordable development while maintaining our community’s character.
During my leadership of the Preserve Friendly Avenue project, I brought together over 1,500 homeowners to achieve something many thought impossible—securing a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay that protected our neighborhood while allowing sensible growth. This experience taught me that effective leadership means finding solutions that work for everyone, not picking winners and losers. The same collaborative approach will guide my work on affordable housing. We can protect neighborhood character while creating opportunities for working families to build equity and stability.
Unlike some on our current City Council who seem content to discuss the housing crisis at meetings while offering no concrete solutions, I’m committed to results. My 45 years of business experience have taught me that complex problems require decisive action, not endless committees and studies. We need a City Council member who understands that when families like the Morrisons are forced to abandon their homeownership dreams for three years, we’re failing our community. When 95% of available homes are priced out of reach for middle-income families, we’re creating a city that works only for the wealthy and those qualifying for low-income assistance, leaving our working families behind.
Real estate expert Grace Clifford warns that conditions will worsen for another year before improvement begins. However, that timeline assumes we continue with the same ineffective approaches that created this crisis. With the right leadership and smart policies, we can accelerate solutions.
I’m not running for City Council to make speeches about affordable housing—I’m running to solve it. My proven track record of bringing stakeholders together, my deep understanding of business economics, and my commitment to results-oriented governance make me the leader Greensboro needs for this challenge. Working families shouldn’t have to choose between living in Greensboro and achieving homeownership. With smart development policies, streamlined processes, and collaborative leadership, we can create more opportunities for starter homes while maintaining the community character that makes Greensboro special.
The choice is clear: We can continue with the status quo that has failed our working families, or elect leaders committed to real solutions. I’m ready to get to work.
Additional Reading Resources:
Grace Clifford’s Professional Profiles—Grace Clifford, the real estate broker quoted in the Fox 8 article, has a LinkedIn profile identifying her as a “GREENSBORO TRIAD NC REALTOR with Keller Williams” and describing her as having “lived in Greensboro for over 25 years.”
Rocket Homes Market Report – The median home sold price in Guilford County was $300,143 in April 2025, up 3.5% from the previous year. Guilford County, North Carolina Housing Market Report April 2025 – Rocket, closely aligning with the $300,000+ threshold mentioned.
Redfin Market Data reports that the median sale price of homes in Guilford County was $306K, up 6.3% from last year.
Market Dynamics – A December 2024 housing market analysis notes that “despite some price adjustments, there’s still considerable interest from buyers in the Greensboro area,” Greensboro Housing Market: Trends and Forecast 2025-2026, which aligns with the competitive market conditions Grace Clifford described.
Nicky Smith is a candidate for the Greensboro City Council with 45 years of business leadership experience. He successfully led the Preserve Friendly Avenue project, uniting over 1,500 homeowners to secure ne
ighborhood protections while allowing sensible growth. Please donate to this campaign to bring Nicky Smith’s leadership, wisdom, and common sense to the Greensboro City Council. Make a difference by making a $20 donation today.
