Tag

Housing Affordability

All articles tagged with #housing affordability

local1 day ago•3 min saved

Charlotte Nears 1 Million as Growth Tests Infrastructure and Patience

Charlotte is racing toward 1 million residents, with 20,731 people added between 2024 and 2025—the most of any U.S. metro—bringing the city to about 964,784 and heightening concerns that rapid growth is reviving the crowded, costly conditions it drew people away from. While still cheaper than peer cities, housing affordability is eroding as incomes lag home-price gains (median values rising from about $238k in 2019 to roughly $407k today). Planners are pushing density along transit corridors and pursuing transit upgrades, even as debates over toll lanes and major projects linger after Mecklenburg County approved a 1-cent transportation sales tax.

via Axios|

#charlotte #housing-affordability #infrastructure

politics7 days ago•2 min saved

House advances bipartisan bill capping mega-investor purchases

The House passed a bipartisan housing affordability bill 396-13 that would curb major investors owning 350+ single-family homes from acquiring more properties while permitting them to build additional housing; the White House supports changes intended to balance restrictions with build-to-rent provisions, but Senate approval remains uncertain amid concerns over forced sales and potential effects on homeownership.

via CNBC|

#bipartisan #build-to-rent #housing-affordability

education13 days ago•9 min saved

UC workers threaten open-ended strike, threatening campus dining and hospital services

More than 40,000 UC workers across campuses and medical centers plan an open-ended strike Thursday over higher wages, lower healthcare costs, and housing affordability, potentially disrupting medical appointments and campus dining while UC hospitals stay open with contingency staffing. UC has offered up to 34% wage increases over three years plus a $2,000 ratification bonus and caps on premium increases, but the union says offers exclude many workers and housing remains unaddressed.

via Los Angeles Times|

#afscme-3299 #education #healthcare-costs

politics21 days ago•10 min saved

California governor debate exposes fault lines as Becerra faces heat over healthcare and donors

CNN's two-hour Los Angeles debate placed Xavier Becerra under heavy attack over his HHS tenure and campaign-finance ties, while rivals sparred on single-payer health care and California’s CalCare concept, sanctuary-state policy, housing, and a proposed billionaire tax; with no clear frontrunner in a sprawling field, the high-stakes race for California’s next governor remains volatile ahead of the June primary.

via Los Angeles Times|

#calcare #california-governor #housing-affordability

politics28 days ago•10 min saved

Gas, Housing Costs Dominate California Governor Debate in Pomona

In a 90-minute Pomona College debate ahead of the June 2 primary, California gubernatorial candidates sparred over gas prices, housing costs and homeowners’ insurance, with Republicans like Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco attacking Democrat Xavier Becerra while Democrats pressed for affordability measures. The event highlighted a crowded, open-primary field, with Hilton leading recent polls and a large share of voters still undecided as candidates pitched a range of solutions amid climate-related emergency concerns.

via Los Angeles Times|

#california-governor-debate #climate-emergencies #gas-prices

business1 month ago•5 min saved

NYC Targets Empty Second Homes for Revenue Boost, Not a Quick Housing Fix

New York City is weighing a tax on pieds-à-terre over $5 million owned by nonresidents that could raise about $500 million a year to close the city’s budget gap and fund affordability efforts. Because NYC’s vacancy rate is already near a 50-year low (about 1.4%), the plan—affecting roughly 13,000 units—likely won’t unlock much housing supply and appears driven more by revenue than a direct housing relief push. Other cities and countries with vacancy taxes (Berkeley, DC, Vancouver, Paris) show mixed results and enforcement challenges, suggesting NYC’s measure could boost revenue while prompting some owners to reconsider ownership in the city.

via Business Insider|

#business #housing-affordability #new-york-city

real-estate1 month ago•14 min saved

First-Time Homebuyers Confront Growing Cost Burden

New homeowners in 2024 spent about 26% of their income on housing vs 20% for longer-tenured owners—a six-point gap dubbed the 'new homeowner penalty' and the widest since 1990—driven by high prices, mortgage rates hovering around 6%+, and rising costs like insurance and taxes. The result is a stubborn affordability crunch for first-time buyers, even with savings and family help; policymakers point to boosting housing supply through streamlined permitting and zoning reforms as the long-term fix, though effects will take time and vary by region.

via Business Insider|

#homeownership #housing-affordability #income-inequality

us-politics-and-policy1 month ago•4 min saved

Billionaire developer says Trump’s housing plan falls short, cites costs and unions

Real estate billionaire Stephen Ross says Donald Trump’s efforts to tackle US housing affordability are not enough, blaming high construction costs driven by union labor and urging subsidies as a key solution, while highlighting his own West Palm Beach project.

via Financial Times|

#construction-costs #housing-affordability #stephen-m-ross

business1 month ago•8 min saved

Chase Unveils Nationwide Plan to Broaden Local Economic Opportunity

JPMorgan Chase announces the American Dream Initiative (ADI), a multi-year effort to expand local opportunity across six focus areas—Business Growth & Entrepreneurship, Housing Access & Affordability, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Careers & Skills, Healthcare, and Local Institutions—by boosting capital, advisory services and policy advocacy; the plan targets nearly $80 billion in small-business lending over 10 years, expands coaching and staffing, pilots local revitalization, and includes a spotlight on Alabama as it scales nationwide.

via JPMorganChase|

#american-dream-initiative #business #financial-inclusion

business1 month ago•2 min saved

Job Type Determines Who Buys a Home in America

A National Association of Realtors analysis of Census data finds U.S. homeownership rates differ by occupation: management and business professionals lead at about 72% ownership in 2024, education and social services around 67%, and STEM/technical workers about 67% but dipping since 2014; service workers remain lowest at about 46%, with the national rate near 65%. Local variation is substantial: in 61% of the 368 metros, the occupation most likely to own a home in 2024 differs from 2014, and affordability constraints—medians around five times income—mean many earners are priced out of homeownership.

via Axios|

#business #homeownership #housing-affordability

business2 months ago•2 min saved

Mortgage demand sinks as rates climb to October highs

Mortgage application volume fell 10.5% last week as the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.43%, the highest since October 2025. Refinance demand dropped 15% while purchase applications slipped 5%, with refinances making up about half of activity. The rise in rates, affordability constraints, and economic uncertainty kept potential homebuyers on the sidelines, and ARM share rose to 8.1% of total applications.

via CNBC|

#30-year-fixed-rate-mortgage #business #housing-affordability

politics2 months ago•5 min saved

Trump rolls out housing push with fast-track permits and looser mortgage rules

President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at boosting home ownership by cutting federal housing regulatory burdens and speeding up the mortgage process: the first directs agencies to streamline permitting, curb certain environmental rules, and promote state-local best practices to reduce construction costs; the second asks the CFPB to modify mortgage guidelines under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to allow more lending by smaller banks, with the goal of lowering borrowing costs. Officials caution that effects may take months and depend on state policies, amid already high home prices and mortgage rates.

via PBS|

#executive-orders #housing-affordability #mortgage-regulation

politics3 months ago•6 min saved

Warren says Trump could rally GOP to curb Wall Street housing purchases

Sen. Elizabeth Warren told POLITICO that President Trump could turn a GOP push to curb Wall Street’s single-family home purchases into law if he rallies Republicans, as Senate and House housing bills seek to boost supply and lower costs. The White House wants restrictions on institutional investors not currently in the bills, while Warren remains open to adding private-equity provisions and backs a separate tax-break removal measure, signaling alternative approaches. Whether the bills will be reconciled remains uncertain.

via Politico|

#elizabeth-warren #housing-affordability #institutional-investors

politics3 months ago•2 min saved

Trump Administration Promises Homeownership Boom as Mortgage Rates Drop

The White House touts a housing-market upturn under President Trump, citing Freddie Mac data that mortgage rates are at a multi-year low and affordability is improving, with rising refinance activity and demand for home purchases. Rents have declined, and starts are up, while policy moves—such as $200 billion in mortgage-backed-securities purchases, limiting large investors in single-family homes, barring certain non-citizens from taxpayer-backed loans, and rolling back the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule—are framed as expanding access to homeownership and lowering costs for American families.

via The White House (.gov)|

#fannie-mae #freddie-mac #housing-affordability

politics3 months ago•16 min saved

Trump Pushes for Rising Home Prices Amid Housing Affordability Worries

President Trump advocates keeping home prices high rather than boosting construction to lower costs, arguing rising values protect homeowners even as economists say increased housing supply is needed; the piece notes that single-family construction permits fell about 9.4% year over year, while lawmakers from both parties seek incentives to spur building, a stance that could bolster older voters while potentially alienating younger voters ahead of the 2026 elections.

via HuffPost|

#construction-permits #home-prices #housing