Illinois state lawmakers took up housing affordability last year. The results underwhelmed. Now, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing to put housing at the center of Illinois’ broader affordability agenda. “The problem is clear – rent is too high and home ownership is too far out of reach,” Pritzker said in his State of the State […]
Gov. Pritzker calls for zoning reform to buoy Illinois housing access Read More »
Today’s headwinds new-home market rewards homebuilding teams that do the hardest things the best. In that light, a glib explanation for Toll Brothers’ Q1 2026 performance would be to point to geography and demographics: a luxury buyer profile, higher incomes and lower sensitivity to mortgage rates. The harder – and more reality-grounded – explanation is
For Toll Brothers, disciplined execution beats market uncertainty Read More »
While homebuilder sentiment remains subdued after a 12-month grind that hasn’t quite let up, Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders, offered “guarded optimism” in his take on housing economics’ complex set of market drivers. In other words, the worst of the worst may be over, but don’t expect a switch
Wary optimism sparks new-home outlook … but grind may linger Read More »
The outlook for new home construction and purchases appears brighter going into 2026. After contracting last year, housing stats are forecast to rise 3% this year. A few favorable factors are lining up to boost buyer demand. Affordability is improving: wage growth is outpacing inflation, and home prices are moderating. Mortgage rates have trended down
The insurance challenge builders face in the 2026 spring housing market Read More »
Two people can look at the same parcel of land and come away with wildly different ideas and “facts” that determine how to value it. While there are more than three categories of landowner, most can be characterized in broad terms as developers, speculators or small parcel farmers/passive heirs. Each land-seller category has its own valuation process and formulas. The value creator A
The new math of land deals in Texas growth corridors Read More »
Many more people know how to do their job, than know why a given approach works. This can cause severe and unknown risk, because if circumstances change, the previous “right” solution may no longer work, or opportunities may be missed. A couple of examples: Risk Example In the mid- to late 1990s, as Sacramento was
Scott Cox: If you don’t know the why, you may miss the signal Read More »
America’s quilt work of states whose governors and lawmakers are bucking for housing policy change to break through supply constraints at the root of the nation’s affordability crisis now counts Massachusetts among them. With a focus on prohibitively constrictive building codes and zoning ordinances, Gov. Maura Healey has adopted an approach officials in other states
Massachusetts studies adding supply with single-stair apartments Read More »
Like it or not, for consumers in today’s market for a newly built home – especially younger, more price- and interest-rate sensitive ones – a home builder is a homebuilder is a homebuilder. Product, price, and location may reveal nuanced differences, and offer a finite toolbox of motivators – i.e. incentives. Other than those nuances,
Beazer Homes’ key differentiator? Sustainability and innovation Read More »
“We have seen enormous innovation across residential and commercial real estate over the last decade, and it has been exciting to be part of many of those success stories. But there is one area of the built environment that still feels materially underbuilt. Land. …. … In many ways, land feels like the last frontier
AI powers land and lot search and zoning feasibility. Here’s how Read More »
Here’s something I’ve been turning over in my head as we grind our way into Spring Selling 2026 — one that feels especially relevant for homebuilders and every functional leader who’s trying to steer a business through a tougher, noisier, more skeptical market: If your marketing only works when everything goes right, it’s not a
Stop marketing moments; start designing systems Read More »