Ben Knight | Support HB604

My name is Ben Knight, my company is Knight Affordable Housing Solutions. We help customers build smaller more affordable housing in and around Keene NH. I support this bill. I believe it is one of many solutions needed to help provide new avenues for building 1 and 2 bedroom smaller, starter homes/units, for young single and married individuals with no kids, older divorced or retired individuals whose kids have left the house, etc. These spaces will naturally be more affordable due to their size and allow them to live more within their means. By providing more affordable housing for these folks, it will also open up larger houses/units (where those folks currently reside), for larger families that actually need the space and better able to afford them. For the owners of houses where the ADU's will be built, this bill will put them in a better position to be able to pay their mortgage and avoid foreclosure and all the other ripple effects it has. It will increase their property value and net worth, which ultimately will result in more tax revenue for their communities. I'm looking forward to seeing this bill and others like it passed, so contractors like me can work with customers to make life affordable again. For reference, I can finish off basements and garages into 1-2 bedroom apartments for roughly $40,000-$60,000, and build fully detached 400-600sf ADU's for roughly $80,000-$100,000.