Free Republic

Higher mortgage rates and concern over the broader economy are making for a weak start to the all-important spring housing market. Sales of previously owned homes in March fell 5.9% from February to 4.02 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s the slowest March sales pace since 2009. Sales were 2.4% lower than in March 2024 and slumped across all regions month to month. They fell hardest in the West, the priciest region of the country, down more than 9%. The West, however, was the only region to see a year-over-year...

The Trump administration has considered sharply curtailing vouchers as part of its budget for the 2026 fiscal year... Administration officials recently discussed cutting or canceling out the vouchers and other rental assistance programs and potentially replacing them with a more limited system of housing grants, perhaps sent to states... The cuts to housing programs come in addition to an exodus of the agency’s work force. As of last week, about 2,300 employees opted to accept an offer for “deferred resignation” and leave their jobs...

Once again, Zillow has downgraded its 12-month forecast for national home prices. On Wednesday, Zillow economists published their updated forecast model, projecting that U.S. home prices, as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index, will fall 1.7% between March 2025 and March 2026. Back in March, Zillow downgraded its 12-month outlook for U.S. home prices to +0.8%. In February, Zillow downgraded its 12-month outlook to +1.1%. And at the start of the year in January, Zillow’s 12-month national home price forecast was +2.9%. Why does Zillow keep downgrading its national home price outlook? | Fast Company Newsletters “The rise in...

In a stunning display of conservatives’ determination, two Republican senators have introduced a piece of legislation that will redirect taxpayer funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to rebuilding and repairing state veterans’ homes, hot on the heels of the discovery that a significant portion of USAID’s funding was being used to advance a woke agenda on a global scale. For context, on April 10, 2025, Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Veterans First Act of 2025, a piece of legislation that hits particularly close to home for Sen. Tuberville, who is Alabama’s...

SACRAMENTO, California — A progressive Democratic lawmaker is seeking a simple but jarring remedy of last resort for California’s college students navigating the state’s housing crisis: Let them sleep in their cars. While roughly half a dozen state legislative proposals this year seek to fund student or faculty housing or loosen building regulations, the benefits would come far too late for current students struggling to stay afloat. With one in four California community college students experiencing homelessness in the past year, Democrats — who have a supermajority in the statehouse — face increasing pressure to deliver on affordability issues. Assemblymember...

This is an excellent example of what Attorney General Pam Bondi should be focused on instead of her appearances on Fox News.The Federal Housing and Finance Agency has released a public statement highlighting an internal review and investigation of conduct within Fannie Mae that has resulted in the termination of over 100 employees for “unethical conduct” including the “facilitation of fraud.”If the FHMA is finding intentional fraud within the housing loan offices, those federal employees should be arrested and legally prosecuted for their conduct. It is not enough to just fire people, there has to be legal accountability. These are...

A block in downtown Denver is converting from offices into apartment spaces after a real estate company bought two towers on 17th Street. The Luzzatto Company, a national real estate firm, purchased 621 and 633 17th St. at the start of April for $3.2 million, hoping to revitalize downtown with the over 973,000 square feet of space in the heart of Denver. Right now, it’s a handful of offices and a grassy area just outside the 16th Street Mall, but company owner Asher Luzzatto said it’s going through a complete renovation that will cost between $150 and $200 million. Within...

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner today issued a letter to grantees and stakeholders underscoring that federal housing assistance will no longer be granted to illegal aliens or sanctuary cities. The directive reinforces HUD programs are strictly reserved for the American people, eliminating any ambiguity in policy. ...going forward, grant agreements will include language that will require compliance with Executive Order 14218, and the Department will take steps to ensure that Federal resources are not used to support “sanctuary” policies of State and local jurisdictions that actively prevent federal authorities from deporting illegal aliens.

The order is part of HUD's and the Department of Homeland Security's new initiative that seeks to end "wasteful misappropriation" of taxpayer-funded public housing resources that are going to illegal immigrants. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday canceled some of the mortgages for illegal migrants, as the department looks to prioritize federal home loans for U.S. citizens. Illegal migrants are already ineligible for Federal Housing Administration loans, but the new order will give HUD greater enforcement power to ensure that illegal migrants are not somehow getting assistance anyway, the National Review reported. The order is part of...

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced Monday that their agencies will work together to prevent illegal migrants from living in public housing. The Trump administration aims to end the “wasteful misappropriation” of taxpayer money going to subsidize housing for illegal migrants by having DHS “identify illegal aliens who are ineligible for Federal housing assistance” to HUD, according to the new memorandum of understanding between the two agencies. “American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing...

FUBAR inflation, catering to migrants, and high taxes are impoverishing New Yorkers. Details in this 16 minute videoditorial and the attached transcript.

Finally! HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced he partnered up with DHS Chief Kristi Noem to end taxpayer-funded housing for illegal aliens. “U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem today signed the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to end the wasteful misappropriation of taxpayer dollars to benefit illegal aliens instead of American citizens,” HUD announced on Monday. “As part of this new agreement, HUD will provide a full-time staff member to assist in operations at the Incident Command Center (ICC), establishing an...

This ought to save the taxpayers a few dollars. On Monday, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the signing of a "memorandum of understanding" ending the use of federal monies to house illegal aliens, directing that any such funds should go to helping American citizens. What an amazing idea.U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem today signed the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to end...

The Tesla Tiny House 2025 represents a radical rethinking of affordable housing with specifications that seem almost impossible at its price point. Measuring precisely 240 square feet (20 by 12 by 9.5 feet), the structure is constructed primarily from Tesla's proprietary GreenCore composite materials—a revolutionary blend of recycled carbon fiber, plant-based resins, and recovered automotive-grade aluminum from Tesla's vehicle production waste stream. This advanced compound, developed in Tesla's Materials Science division, has been reformulated with a 37% stronger tensile strength than traditional building materials through a new molecular bonding process. This innovative material provides R-38 insulation value while weighing 64%...

Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and one of Facebook's earliest investors, has built his fortune spotting economic trends before they explode. But his latest warning has nothing to do with tech or startups. Instead, he's calling out what he sees as a massive problem in real estate—one that's making it nearly impossible for young Americans to afford a home.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner has teamed up with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a bid to transform "underutilized" federal lands into low-income housing. The Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing initiative announced Monday aims to bridge the nation's shortage of approximately 7 million affordable homes by tapping into the federal government's vast land holdings. The partnership seeks to "unlock federal lands for the benefit of all Americans," Turner said, adding that HUD will work with the Department of the Interior to "assess the housing needs in areas where federal lands may be...

New home construction surged in February, as housing starts jumped 11.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.5 million, far surpassing expectations. The increase was led by a strong rebound in single-family homebuilding, a sign that builders are responding to demand despite lingering concerns over mortgage rates and supply constraints.Single-family starts rose 11.4 percent to an annualized 1.11 million, the fastest pace in a year. Multi-family construction also posted a 10.7 percent increase, though that segment has shown more volatility in recent months. The strength in February’s report follows a period of stagnation in housing construction, particularly in...

The supply of homes for sale across the nation always rises ahead of the busy spring market, but the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is seeing an outsized increase, according to Realtor.com. Inventory gains in the region, which includes the District as well as Maryland and Virginia suburbs, began to accelerate in January and February, up 35.9% and 41% year-over-year, respectively. Inventory in the area from June to December had already been 20% to 30% higher than the previous year, but the increases accelerated even further in recent months. As of last week, active listings were up 56% compared with the...

Mitch Vexler files criminal complaint with the DOJ claiming homes are falsely appraised to create higher tax revenue for the school districts. What this could mean for home owners and real estate investors.

Failed Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is facing condemnation from conservatives after she appeared on MSNBC to defend a $2 billion initiative under the Biden administration's EPA to purchase green energy appliances for Americans. "Stacey Abrams linked Power Forward Communities received $2 billion in tax dollars in 2024 after reporting just $100 in revenue the year before. They were so unqualified that the grant agreement required the NGO to complete ‘How to Develop a Budget’ training within 90 days," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in comment provided to Fox Digital on Sunday. "$2 billion in hard earned tax dollars...