Realtors give back after record sales in 2020

Vantage West Realty in Kelowna is marking their record year with a donation to New Story Charity to fund a 3D printed home in Mexico.

“Real estate was one of the most resilient sectors of the local economy in 2020, and we want to give back,” said A. J. Hazzi, managing broker/owner of Vantage West. “After a few scary months, the market rallied and at Vantage West we were able to help more families move into new homes than any other year.”

Teaming up with New Story Charity, Vantage West is donating $10,000 USD to fund a 500-sq-ft home in Nacajuca, Mexico, 3D printed using ICON’s robotics, software and advanced material.

“This is leading-edge technology that will hopefully stop the housing affordability crisis,” said Hazzi. “These families in Mexico are becoming homeowners for the first time; it’s a generational change that can break the cycle of poverty, giving security for themselves and their families.”

Families are currently living in extreme poverty and makeshift, unsafe shelter, subsiding on a monthly median income of only $76.

The 3D printer uses a proprietary cement-based mix dubbed “lavacrete” that exceeds the strength of existing building materials. Once the house foundation has been poured and cured, the 3D printer is set up and begins to extrude layer by layer, building walls in only 24 hours.

For Hazzi, finding solutions to homelessness here at home is the driving force behind the donation.

“This glimpse into the future of housing may offer new ways to address affordability,” Hazzi stated.

The non-profit organization New Story Charity was founded in 2014 and has helped fund community projects in four countries, building more than 2,200 homes, and changing the lives of more than 11,000 people. The Nacajuca village is the second project with 3D printed homes.

Vantage West Realty is closing in on having helped 500 families move in the Okanagan admidst the pandemic.