Booker Washington is making homeownership more accessible to urban communities.
He is the founder of Techie Homes, a real estate company in Atlanta, Georgia that designs “smart micro-communities,” which are offered at below-market prices, according to the company’s website.
“Accessibility of homeownership is an issue in Atlanta,” he told Business Insider. “Our goal is to provide housing at a price point where the mortgage is the same or less than renting a one-bedroom apartment.”
Washington subscribes to accessible homeownership, but has made clear it does not want to classify Techie Homes’ efforts as an affordable housing project.
“We change the way we look at the environment. When we change the way we look at the environment, we actually change people and how they grow,” Washington explained in the video clip. “That’s why I don’t embrace affordable housing projects, because when you put people with the same income in the same place, they only see what is provided by other people’s low incomes. So we need a mix of communities that embrace people of different income levels, because they need to experience all types of life and examples so that they can grow in a balanced way.”
In 2023, Washington celebrated the grand opening of South Park Cottages. The community included 29 microhouses priced from $190,000 to $230,000, well below the market price of $431,250 at the time. Additionally, South Park Cottages became Atlanta’s first Black-owned microhome community.
Moreover, this was not the only result. All homes were sold before they went on the market.
“We celebrated the history we have created…The goal is wealth in all its forms, and those goals are homeownership,” he expressed in a post shared on Instagram. “These goals are a revitalized community, connections, connections. College Park embraces that challenge and our commitment to this community, and its leadership @mayor_bianca will stand the test of time. I Our accomplishments are only measured by the obstacles we have overcome…I am happy. But we still have much more to accomplish, more communities to create, more history to write. ”
Staying true to his vision, Union Park Cottages in Union City, Georgia, is the next project scheduled to launch through Techie Homes. In addition to a technology lab, the project will also include a coffee shop and eatery, in which all residents will own a stake in the coffee shop.
“Our goal is not just to build community, but to enhance it. To ensure that innovation is accessible not just to Union Park, but to the entire community,” the company said in a statement on Instagram. “But that’s not all. Our homeowners get an equity stake in the coffee shop and become owners of the retail space!!” What an epic change for homeownership and wealth creation! Literally, it’s almost sold out. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history with the rest of the unit!”
