Housing Is Not a Game — It’s the American Dream

For far too long, housing has been reduced to a prop in America’s political theater. It’s the backdrop for campaign rallies, the bullet point slipped into glossy mailers, the soundbite dropped to score applause. But behind every hollow promise, real families are paying the price. Not the politicians insulated in Washington. Not the strategists crunching poll numbers. It’s the single mom working two jobs and still coming up short on rent. It’s the young couple who saved every dime and sacrificed every luxury, only to find homeownership forever out of reach. It’s the seniors who gave their best years to this country and now find themselves trapped in houses too big, too costly, and too unforgiving.

I speak every day with the people on the frontlines of this crisis—agents, brokers, builders, lenders. They aren’t talking theory. They aren’t spinning politics. They’re telling me what they see with their own eyes: hardworking Americans being crushed, not just by market forces, but by political negligence. By leaders more interested in winning elections than winning solutions.

Picture it. A family sitting at the kitchen table with stacks of paperwork, pre-approval letters, and years of savings, only to have the dream ripped away when interest rates jump or policy shifts overnight. Imagine parents putting their kids to bed in rentals that cost more than a mortgage because red tape keeps supply locked down. Picture retirees staring at their fixed incomes and realizing they can’t afford to move, can’t afford to stay, and can’t find any way forward.

This is not an inconvenience. This is not a market correction. This is a national emergency. Housing is the foundation of the American Dream—without it, communities crumble, wealth evaporates, and the promise of upward mobility collapses. And yet, the crisis deepens while Washington treats it as nothing more than a political chess match. Every day they delay, every time they posture, every time they rewrite the rules for political gain, families fall further behind.

This isn’t just a housing problem. This is the unraveling of stability, opportunity, and freedom itself. And it will not be solved until leaders stop playing games and start treating housing for what it truly is: the lifeblood of America’s future.

The Real Cost of Political Games

Here’s the hard truth: when lawmakers treat housing like a political football, it’s not them who end up on the ground—it’s the American people. Families get blindsided. Builders get stranded. Communities lose hope.

We’ve all seen it. Regulations that never should have made it out of committee get rushed through because they sound good on a debate stage. Programs with real potential to open the doors of homeownership are shelved the moment the political winds change. Critical reforms that could unlock new housing supply, lower costs, or expand access to financing get buried in massive bills tied to completely unrelated agendas.

And here’s what that looks like on the ground:
– A builder with financing lined up, land purchased, and a workforce ready, suddenly can’t move forward because of a last-minute regulatory change that adds months—or even years—to the approval process.
– A young family who thought they finally had their mortgage locked in loses their shot at homeownership because lawmakers couldn’t resist tinkering with credit standards to score political points.
– A lender ready to invest in underserved communities holds back because Washington can’t keep the rules consistent long enough to make long-term planning possible.

Every delay means fewer homes are built at a time when inventory is already at historic lows. Every political stunt means more families are forced to rent instead of buy, watching prices climb further out of reach. Every unnecessary regulation means fewer lenders are able to serve their communities, leaving borrowers with fewer choices and higher costs.

This isn’t just theory—it’s reality. It’s the young couple living in a one-bedroom apartment with a newborn because their dream home slipped through their fingers. It’s the retiree who should be downsizing to a manageable home but can’t, because supply is so constrained that options don’t exist. It’s the single mom paying more than half her paycheck in rent because affordable homes simply aren’t being built fast enough.

And now the national headlines confirm what we already know. The Guardian reported that Americans across generations are delaying marriage, kids, and homeownership altogether, calling the American Dream “unattainable.” Business Insider profiled couples who admit housing costs are directly shaping their decision to start families. MarketWatch revealed that nearly 40% of prospective buyers have walked away, citing policy instability and rising costs.

Builders and industry leaders back this up. The National Association of Home Builders testified that a quarter of the cost of every new single-family home—and 40% of multifamily—comes from regulation alone. In San Francisco, approval timelines stretch as long as 860 days before a shovel hits dirt. In California, even modest backyard ADUs are being delayed for months because of bureaucratic back-and-forth with PG&E.

These are not isolated anecdotes. They are symptoms of a system where politics takes precedence over people.

And yet, we also know the flip side. We know what happens when housing is allowed to thrive. Families don’t just find shelter—they grow roots. They invest in their communities. They take pride in ownership. They build wealth, security, and stability. They pass something tangible on to the next generation. Communities strengthen. Schools improve. Local businesses flourish. Entire economies expand.

It doesn’t matter where you stand politically—when housing works, America works. When more people have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes, every American benefits.

What Must Change

It’s time—long past time—for our leaders to stop campaigning on housing and start governing for it. We don’t need more slogans, hashtags, or half-baked promises that are forgotten the day after an election. We need real, measurable action that puts families first and ensures the housing market can do what it was always meant to do: provide stability, opportunity, and growth.

1. Consistency in Policy

Markets live and die on predictability. Lenders don’t make long-term commitments if they believe tomorrow the rules might change. Builders don’t break ground on multimillion-dollar projects if they can’t count on the same regulatory framework from start to finish. Families don’t commit to 30-year mortgages if they believe lawmakers are going to jerk the wheel every two years.

Right now, housing policy is treated like a revolving door. One administration champions a tax credit for first-time buyers—then the next eliminates it. One group expands access to FHA loans—then the next tightens credit standards. One state rolls out rent control as a “solution,” while another bans it entirely. This inconsistency doesn’t just confuse professionals—it paralyzes them.

Take the shifting sands of the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Promised in one election cycle, delayed in another, debated endlessly, and still not enacted. Buyers hold back, waiting for the credit to arrive. Sellers hold out, wondering if they’ll need to adjust pricing. And in the end, nobody wins because policymakers can’t provide a consistent, reliable framework.

Housing is too critical to be left vulnerable to political mood swings. We need policies that are built to last—long-term commitments that stretch beyond party cycles and campaign slogans. Until then, families will remain in limbo, wondering which version of the American Dream they’re supposed to believe in.

2. Unleashing Supply

This isn’t complicated: affordability begins and ends with supply. We don’t have enough homes. The National Association of Realtors estimates we’re short by more than 5 million units nationwide. That deficit won’t shrink by wishful thinking. Builders are ready, land is available, demand is sky-high—but outdated zoning, endless permitting, and suffocating regulation keep projects stuck on the drawing board.

Consider California, where the permitting process for multifamily housing can stretch 600 to 800 days. In San Francisco, the average time to get a housing project approved is longer than it takes to build the project itself. Even accessory dwelling units (ADUs), once touted as the “quick fix,” are strangled by utility delays and back-and-forth with regulators. Every day added to that timeline is another dollar added to the cost—and another family priced out.

Meanwhile, in states like Montana and Utah, we’ve seen what happens when leaders take bold steps to streamline zoning and permitting. Reforms that cut red tape, expand allowable density, and reduce regulatory costs have already unlocked new construction and lowered entry barriers. These examples prove the point: when government clears the way, builders deliver.

If Washington is serious about solving the affordability crisis, it must work with states and localities to modernize zoning, expedite permitting, and roll back costly regulatory excess. Stop talking about affordability while blocking the very projects that could fix it.

3. Making Ownership Attainable Again

For the average American, homeownership has become less a milestone and more a mirage. We’ve built a system where only the well-connected or the financially privileged can reliably buy a home, while working families scrape by in the rental market with little chance of moving up. That must change.

Consider this: mortgage rates have doubled in recent years, while wages have barely budged. Down payment requirements remain out of reach for millions. And even when buyers do everything right—save, work hard, build credit—they face rejection because credit standards are constantly shifting with the political winds.

We need financing innovation that reflects today’s realities. That means down payment assistance programs that are actually funded and accessible. That means expanding FHA and VA lending without burying borrowers in red tape. That means tax structures that stop penalizing young families trying to take their first step into homeownership.

Look at states like Colorado, where local down payment assistance programs have successfully boosted first-time buyer participation. These programs don’t give away homes—they give hardworking Americans the bridge they need to step into ownership and build wealth. Meanwhile, at the federal level, assistance programs are often promised, rarely funded, and even more rarely implemented with clarity.

Owning a home should not feel like winning the lottery. It should be the logical next step for anyone willing to work, save, and sacrifice. We can—and must—make that true again.

4. Putting Solutions Over Politics

This is the heart of it. Housing is not Republican. It is not Democrat. It is American. And yet, every meaningful conversation about fixing our housing crisis devolves into partisan bickering. One side refuses to support an idea simply because the other side introduced it. Families lose while lawmakers argue.

Take the ongoing debates around zoning reform. Leaders on both sides of the aisle know that exclusionary zoning is a barrier to affordability. Yet efforts to address it are sabotaged again and again—not because the reforms lack merit, but because agreeing would mean giving credit to the other party. Meanwhile, families remain locked out of neighborhoods where opportunity is highest.

Or consider the endless debate around mortgage interest deduction reform. For years, economists and housing experts have called for a smarter, fairer system. But instead of tackling the issue with honesty, politicians cling to rhetoric designed to rile up their base. The result? A tax structure that benefits some while doing little to address the deeper affordability crisis.

The housing industry has solutions. We’ve offered them again and again. Builders, lenders, brokers, and community leaders are ready to work. What’s missing is the political will to set aside division long enough to do what’s right for the American people. Until that changes, the system will remain broken—not for lack of answers, but for lack of courage.

Why I Still Believe

I’ve been in this industry long enough to see both the best and the worst of times. I know the pain is real—rates rising, affordability collapsing, supply chains strained, families discouraged. But I also know this: every time our industry has faced a crisis, we have found a way forward. Every single time.

I’ve seen local communities rally together to cut through bureaucracy when families needed homes after natural disasters. I’ve seen lenders innovate with new programs when traditional financing left too many behind. I’ve seen real estate agents fight for their clients when every door seemed shut, refusing to quit until they found a way to hand over the keys. That spirit—that refusal to surrender—is why I believe we are not beaten, only challenged.

The American housing market is resilient because the people in it are resilient. Our builders rise every morning knowing they’re not just pouring foundations—they’re building futures. Our lenders sit across from families, not just reviewing numbers on paper but working to unlock opportunities that can change generations. Our real estate professionals put in long hours, long nights, and long weekends because they know they are not just selling houses—they are delivering the American Dream.

These men and women are among the hardest-working, most determined people I’ve ever known. They don’t wait for Washington to solve problems. They find solutions on the ground, in their communities, in the lives of their clients. But they cannot fight this battle alone. They need leaders willing to step up, not just step to the microphone. They need lawmakers who understand that speeches don’t build homes—policies do.

And here’s the truth: Americans are paying attention. They see the difference between empty promises and genuine solutions. They know when they’re being used as talking points and when someone is actually fighting for them. They are tired of being treated as pawns in a political game. They are tired of rhetoric without results.

But here’s what gives me hope: I also know Americans are not passive. They are speaking out. They are pushing back. They are demanding better. And when they do, when industry professionals, families, and communities all raise their voices together, leaders have no choice but to listen. That’s why I believe—not blindly, not naively, but because history proves it—that the American people and the housing industry, standing side by side, can still drive the change our leaders are too timid to start on their own.

A Call From the Frontlines

I am asking—no, I am imploring—those who hold power to remember who you serve. Stop the political games. Set aside the partisan scorekeeping. Sit down together, face the people you represent, and recognize that housing is not about elections, polls, or the next headline. Housing is about people. It is about the families saving every dollar for a down payment. It is about the children who deserve safe neighborhoods to grow up in. It is about seniors who have worked their whole lives and now need security, not uncertainty. It is about veterans who wore the uniform of this country and now simply want a place to call home. This is the backbone of America—and it deserves more than speeches and soundbites.

And to my colleagues across the real estate, mortgage, and housing industries: do not lose heart. Do not give up. We are the ones who see the human side of this crisis every single day. We sit across the table from buyers who are heartbroken. We hear the stories from families stuck in limbo. We know what happens when housing policy fails—and we also know the transformative power when it succeeds. That’s why we must keep speaking. Keep sharing. Keep pressing forward with solutions that work. Because together, we are not just practitioners of an industry—we are stewards of the American Dream.

Let me be clear: housing is not a slogan. It is not a bargaining chip. It is not a game. It is the roof over a child’s head. It is the foundation under a family’s feet. It is the wealth that lifts generations. It is the dream that binds this nation together across race, class, and politics.

And here is the challenge I leave with you, dear reader: don’t just nod along. Don’t just shake your head at the dysfunction in Washington. Decide today to be part of the solution. Call your representatives. Share your story. Advocate for real reform. Push for policies that strengthen families instead of dividing them.

Because if enough of us stand together—builders and buyers, lenders and lawmakers, agents and advocates—we can force the change that has been too long delayed. We can remind our leaders that housing is not about them. It’s about us. All of us.

The American Dream is not dead. It is waiting. Waiting for leaders bold enough to honor it, and for citizens determined enough to demand it.