The columnist argues that building new has become ever more expensive, that publicly funded projects are slowed by requirements stricter than the federal ones, and that the island holds vacant government buildings, abandoned structures on municipal land and thousands of public nuisances whose tax debts with CRIM can exceed what the properties are worth. New construction remains necessary where no usable structure exists, the column adds, but rehabilitation also brings people back to emptied town centres.

$75,000 against the market

Registered sale deeds put the median price paid for a home in Puerto Rico at $134,675 in October 2025, the latest month in a series that leaves out the most recent year of registrations. The nonprofit's average rehabilitation cost is about 56% of that. Against what sellers ask, the gap is wider: the median asking price for a home listed for sale on the island is $295,743 (October 2026), 4.9% lower than a year earlier, so one rehabilitation costs about a quarter of the median ask.