US Housing View – January 9, 2026

On prices, rent, and mortgage:    

  • How a Rent Freeze Helped Destroy Public Housing – AEI
  • Mamdani Names Housing Leader and Pledges ‘Rental Rip-off’ Hearings. Mayor Zohran Mamdani named a housing commissioner and announced that the city would hold public hearings where frustrated renters could voice their complaints. – New York Times
  • The Contradictions of Supply-Side Socialism. Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders to speed up new construction. His housing policy picks also want to abolish private property. – Reason
  • The Rent-Control Slums of New York. Mayor Mamdani tries to stop a bankruptcy his new housing czar caused. – Wall Street Journal
  • Democratic Sanity on Rent Control. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey opposes a destructive state referendum. – Wall Street Journal
  • Asking Rents Decline Year-over-year – Calculated Risk
  • Mortgage Rates End 2025 at the Lowest Level of the Year – NAHB
  • Higher interest rates transform housing market, Texas real estate workforce – Dallas Fed


On sales, permits, starts, and supply:    

  • Donald Trump moves to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Change would hit buyout groups such as Blackstone and Cerberus that have amassed large residential portfolios – FT
  • White House moves to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Change would hit buyout groups such as Blackstone and Cerberus that have amassed large residential portfolios – FT
  • President Donald Trump Is ‘Taking Steps’ To Ban Investors From Buying Single-Family Homes – Realtor.com
  • Trump says he’ll ban large investors from buying homes, with few details. Politicians in both parties are trying to respond to voter anger over the price of housing. – Washington Post
  • Trump’s Pledge to Evict Big Investors from Housing Market Hits Rental Stocks – Wall Street Journal
  • Trump says he will ban big investors from buying single-family homes. Median sale price was at $410,800 last year, according to the Census Bureau, even as Trump campaigned on affordability – The Guardian
  • Trump Targets Institutional Investors in Affordable Housing Push – Bloomberg
  • Barring Institutional Investors From Buying Homes Won’t Make Housing More Affordable – and Would Likely Make Things Worse. There is no evidence that institutional investors increase prices. Barring them from the market could actually exacerbate the housing crisis. – Reason  
  • Trump pushes to limit Wall Street’s footprint in housing. Housing affordability is set to be a central battleground in this year’s midterm elections. – Politico
  • Housing Supply & Demand Explained in 1 Graph. And why house prices are so erratic – Real Estate Decoded
  • Homebuilding and Remodeling Depend on Immigrant Labor in Major Metros – Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
  • Why America stopped building the ‘starter home’. Concepts about starter homes seem inconsistent with today’s prices and expansive floor plans, leaving many first-time homebuyers with few options. – Washington Post
  • President Trump’s New Housing Policy Should Include Massive Privatization of Federal Land. The U.S. government currently owns 28% of the land in the United States, which is way too much. – Reason
  • The Contradictions of Supply-Side Socialism. Zohran Mamdani signs executive orders to speed up new construction. His housing policy picks also want to abolish private property. – Reason
  • Washington D.C.’s Stockpile of Old Offices Makes It a Mecca for Housing Conversions. Nation’s capital converts more offices to apartments than almost anywhere else – Wall Street Journal
  • Construction Job Openings Increased in November – NAHB
  • 1st Look at Local Housing Markets in December – Calculated Risk 
  • Section 8 cuts would send shockwaves through the housing market – The Hill


On other developments:    

  • Two Simple Ways to Fix Housing in America – Bloomberg
  • This Is Not the Way to Make Housing More Affordable – Bloomberg
  • Americans Are Looking to the Midwest to Find Affordability. The region offers housing costs below the national median and steady wage growth – Wall Street Journal
  • US Housing Outlook – Apollo
  • Richmond ranked a top housing market for 2026 – Axios
  • Yes, Politicians Should Run on Affordability – New York Times
  • The Condo Market Hasn’t Been This Bad in Over a Decade. Condo prices this fall posted their biggest declines since 2012, hit by rising homeowner-association dues and weaker demand – Wall Street Journal
  • Trump Rolls Back Tariffs on Furniture and Kitchen Cabinets. The president has watered down import levies on a host of products in recent months to address concerns about the cost of living – Wall Street Journal
  • Zillow’s CEO Is Ready for Another Slow Year in the US Housing Market. The $16 billion company is pushing more into the transaction side of the real estate industry, which Jeremy Wacksman calls ‘a better business to be in.’ – Bloomberg
  • Housing Share of GDP: Third Quarter 2025 – NAHB
  • The Housing Bubble and Mortgage Debt as a Percent of GDP – Calculated Risk
  • Dems launch election-year affordable housing blitz – Axios
  • Why housing reforms struggle to deliver on their central promise. Attempts to lower home prices will falter without follow-through. – Washington Post
  • Tariffs, Manufacturing, Housing: Questions for 2026 – Cato
  • The Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers in 2026 Revealed – Realtor.com 
  • Home Affordability Remains Strained Nationwide, with Modest Fourth Quarter Improvement – ATTOM

Posted by at 5:00 AM

Labels: Global Housing Watch

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