Omaha does not need more APARTMENTS
Drive around Omaha right now and you’ll see it everywhere: Apartments. Lots of them.
For the past four years, more multifamily housing units have been built in the Omaha metro than single-family homes. A decade ago, Omaha was building about twice as many houses as apartments. Two decades ago, the ratio was closer to five houses for every multifamily unit.
Omaha absolutely needs apartments. We need housing choices for young professionals, downsizers, people relocating, renters who want flexibility, and families who simply are not ready to buy. But we also need more homes people can actually purchase.
We Haven’t Built Enough STARTER Homes
Single-family construction dropped hard after the Great Recession, falling from around 5,000 new homes in 2005 to fewer than 2,000 in 2011. Construction never fully returned to those earlier levels.
Stop treating the phrase affordable
housing like it automatically means low-income housing?
Affordable housing means housing people can afford.
At the same time, demand kept growing. The median Omaha-area home sale price climbed from about $150,000 in 2013 to more than $310,000 in 2025. Developers responded where the numbers worked. Between 2022 and 2025, about 12,600 multifamily units were started compared with roughly 10,900 single-family homes.
We Need More Choices Between an Apartment and a Big House
This is where Omaha has a huge opportunity.
Townhomes.
Condos.
Smaller detached homes.
Duplexes.
Infill housing.
Accessory dwelling units.
Smaller lots.
Housing people can own without needing a $400,000-plus budget.
A lot of people would be perfectly happy with two bedrooms, a little patio, a place for the dog and something with their name on the deed.
Homeownership Still Matters
One of the biggest concerns in this housing shift is what happens when people who want to buy simply cannot find an affordable path into ownership.
Homeownership has long been one of the primary ways middle-income families build equity and long-term wealth. Housing experts in the article specifically pointed to Omahans who would prefer to own but continue renting because affordable options are limited.
The age of the typical first-time buyer has also climbed dramatically. The article cites National Association of Realtors data showing that the age has recently reached 40, compared with roughly 28 or 29 decades ago.
That changes the entire wealth-building timeline.
Omaha Needs a Better Housing Ladder
Build more townhomes.
Build smaller homes.
Encourage infill.
Use ADUs where they make sense.
Make it easier for builders to create entry-level housing again.
Again...stop treating the phrase affordable housing like it means low-income housing? Affordable housing means housing people can afford.
Omaha needs a healthy housing market where people can rent when it works for them and have a realistic opportunity to buy when they are ready. If younger buyers keep looking at homeownership and deciding it is permanently out of reach, we have a housing problem worth paying attention to.
Angela Peters | The Home Girl
REALTOR® | Omaha, Nebraska
Inspired by Henry J. Cordes’ September 20, 2026 Flatwater Free Press report on Omaha’s apartment-building boom.
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