Policy

Housing affordability dominates California gubernatorial race

California has made significant efforts to address housing affordability through numerous new laws under Gov. Gavin Newsom. Candidates seeking to replace the term-limited Newsom, however, act as if little has been accomplished. The laws lacked swift, decisive enforcement to push the affordable goal, according to California billionaire Tom Steyer, a former presidential candidate and the […]

Housing affordability dominates California gubernatorial race Read More »

Connecticut rolls back zoning limits to target housing shortage

Connecticut will officially join other states in rolling back decades-old zoning limits to make ground-up homebuilding easier and more plentiful. Last Wednesday morning, Gov. Ned Lamont signed compromise legislation created during a special session in mid-November, months after he vetoed the original bill as the state addresses an estimated 100,000-unit housing shortage. According to sister-title

Connecticut rolls back zoning limits to target housing shortage Read More »

NYC landlords sue over rent law as vacant units climb

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani won after campaigning on expanding rent stabilization to improve housing affordability. When he becomes mayor in January, Mamdani will face a lawsuit challenging New York’s rent stabilization law. A group of New York City landlords sued, arguing that the law sets rents too low to justify spending thousands of

NYC landlords sue over rent law as vacant units climb Read More »

Off-site housing: cure or political distraction? Our Denver correspondents weigh in

At The Builder’s Daily Focus on Excellence Conference in Denver, we had a chance over breakfast to discuss what we were seeing in off-site housing. While we have come at this from different angles and have seen different aspects of it, we reached a similar conclusion. Both of us have believed for years that off-site

Off-site housing: cure or political distraction? Our Denver correspondents weigh in Read More »

Supreme Court’s tariffs case could have minimal impact on construction costs Supreme Court to decide on Trump tariffs, but many construction levies will remain

The Supreme Court could decide on the legality of many of the Trump administration’s tariffs within months, but the ruling won’t impact many of the administration’s levies on imported construction materials such as lumber, steel, aluminum and copper.  The case before the Supreme Court contests the legality of the president’s use of the International Emergency

Supreme Court’s tariffs case could have minimal impact on construction costs Supreme Court to decide on Trump tariffs, but many construction levies will remain Read More »

The 50-year mortgage: I’m not buying the “forever loan”

A 50-year mortgage sounds like the next big innovation in housing finance, a way to make homes “affordable” again in an era of high prices and stubborn interest rates. But the way I was raised and educated, financial independence and straight talk count. Having studied economics at Texas A&M, I see this for what it

The 50-year mortgage: I’m not buying the “forever loan” Read More »