Homewise CEO says homeownership is ‘ticket to financial security’

Yet, a scarcity of starter homes is creating a barrier for many first-time buyers

New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Sarita Nair, center, speaks at a panel at an Economic Forum of Albuquerque gathering regarding housing on Wednesday. Nair was joined by Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez, left, and Homewise CEO Mike Loftin, right. Kylie Garcia/Journal Kylie Garcia Kylie Garcia Journal Staff Writer Published April 22, 2026 - 4:00 p.m. Modified April 22, 2026 - 4:27 p.m.

Homewise CEO Mike Loftin remembers clearly the day he realized the value of owning a home.

It was after his father had passed away, leaving his mother working two jobs and facing the possibility of a lien being placed on her 1,040-square-foot, two-bedroom home in the Quigley Park neighborhood due to unpaid taxes from Loftin’s father. Loftin never forgot the look on his mother’s face when the Internal Revenue Service dropped the case and she learned her home was safe.

“Our home was one of the few constants in our lives. It was stability. It was our safe place,” Loftin said, tearing up.

In the years that followed, Loftin said a fixed mortgage payment allowed his mom to save money, travel and live out a comfortable retirement for three decades before passing away at 93 years old.

“Her house was her ticket to financial security,” he said.

The value of homeownership was at the center of Loftin’s presentation to local business leaders at the Albuquerque Museum on Wednesday during an Economic Forum of Albuquerque meeting. But so was how difficult homeownership is to attain today versus in years past.

Starter homes — smaller in size, more affordable and usually purchased by first-time homebuyers — are less affordable and in short supply, Loftin said.

In 2018, about 20% of all new homes built in Albuquerque were starter homes. That number dropped to 4% in 2024, according to Albuquerque Multiple Listing Service data cited in a 2024 Homewise report. Additionally, the size, and therefore the price, of homes has changed from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,210 square feet in 2024. 

As a result, mobility is stalling across what Loftin described as the housing “spectrum,” which includes supportive housing, subsidized rentals, market rentals, starter homes and move-up homes.

Loftin said it’s important for people to continue moving up the housing ladder, so that units are freed up for those who need them. When Loftin’s mother died, her home sold to another single mother of three, he noted. Where many are getting stuck, however, is that step from renting to buying a home, Loftin said.

But starter homes aren’t the only part of the housing spectrum in short supply, Loftin said, saying housing across the board needs more attention.

Local officials, including New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Sarita Nair and Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez, have focused on the lower end of the spectrum, helping to secure more than $80 million in state funding for affordable housing — mainly rentals — and homelessness programs in the county.

But the creation of starter homes remains an issue, in part because of restrictive land use policies, first-time homebuyers competing with downsizing baby boomers and an expanding rental market, according to the Homewise report.

Rents in New Mexico rose by 60% between 2017 and 2024, far outpacing the 3% rate by which homes were added during that time, according to data gathered by The Pew Charitable Trusts. With the average rent in recent years rising well above the typical mortgage payment on a median-priced starter home, Loftin said renters could be better off purchasing.

Mortgage payments can be fixed, meaning they remain constant over time, while rents cannot, Loftin said — creating a stark difference between the affordability of renting versus owning over time. Homeowners in America also generate 40 times the wealth of people who rent, Loftin said, pointing to his mother as an example.

“Because of the combination of automatic savings and appreciation, this is an incredibly powerful way that Americans get ahead,” Loftin said.

Some of the ways Homewise helps widen access to homeownership for New Mexicans are through down payment assistance and free financial coaching. But with supply still an issue, additional solutions are needed. The state Legislature recently approved House Bill 200, which launched a pilot program called New Homes for New Mexico.

The program, supported by $10 million in this year’s state budget and housed within the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, aims to incentivize homebuilders to build affordable starter homes in New Mexico by providing loans to first-time homebuyers.

Loftin said the program, and state investments in other types of housing, have created a housing momentum that he hopes to see continue. Nair and Chavez agreed. They added that urgency, collaboration and creativity were integral in the work done so far and will be key going forward.

“My request to you,” Nair said to the room of business leaders, “is every time you hear no from someone like me or someone in the round house, we’ve got to say, ‘Okay, then what can we do?’ Because then, we can build those collaborations to just move through those no’s and get to a place where we’re actually moving.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at [email protected].

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