Flip up the quantity in your actual property success at Inman On Tour: Nashville! Join with business trailblazers and top-tier audio system to achieve highly effective insights, cutting-edge methods, and invaluable connections. Elevate what you are promoting and obtain your boldest objectives — all with Music Metropolis magic. Register now.
Housing in 2025 faces quite a few challenges, and lots of the points have carried over from 12 months to 12 months. Affordability, excessive rates of interest and lack of stock are points we as actual property brokers face day by day, as individuals aren’t motivated to maneuver except they should.
Homelessness and creating extra inexpensive housing to purchase or lease are perpetual points in want of actual, tangible options. Newly confirmed HUD Secretary Scott Turner has an incredible job forward of him. Is he as much as the duty and what does his management seem like for the true property business?
Turner grew up outdoors of Dallas, Texas, and, in line with an article from ProPublica, categorized his upbringing as “a young kid from a broken home, from a poor family.” His mother and father’ relationship was “filled with violence, domestic violence, abuse, a lot of anger [and] alcohol.”
He attended the College of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a soccer scholarship and went on to play professionally for the NFL for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. From there, Turner transitioned into politics, interning for former Republican California Consultant Duncan Hunter, and, after unsuccessfully operating for a California congressional seat in 2006, Turner moved again to Texas.
He continued to pursue politics and was elected to the Texas Home of Representatives in 2012 the place he served for 4 years. He’s a motivational speaker and pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He additionally served as chair of President Trump’s assume tank, America First Coverage Institute.
In line with ProPublica, his views on housing got here into focus by way of his votes on associated points throughout his time within the Texas legislature. He voted towards supporting foreclosures prevention packages and opposed laws to assist public authorities substitute or rehabilitate their property (however did vote for a minor growth of that invoice two years later).
In line with the Houston Chronicle, Turner wished to require drug testing for households making use of for presidency help. He supported some modest housing help, resembling laws selling housing developments for seniors and people in rural areas acquire low-income tax credit.
The ProPublica piece famous that Turner didn’t introduce any housing-related laws whereas he served as a state consultant.
Confirming modifications forward
Throughout Turner’s latest affirmation hearings earlier than the USA Senate Banking, Housing & City Affairs Committee on Jan. 16, his positions and specifics on fixing housing points look like conflicted and considerably unclear, apart from quite a lot of references to state and native involvement in housing points vs. the USA authorities, doing a evaluate of HUD’s insurance policies and packages and seeing how there might be much less regulation.
Turner got here throughout as approachable, likable, relatable and constructive with an enthusiastic demeanor. He appeared open-minded and understood the problems at hand, having come from humble beginnings. Nevertheless, his solutions to questions had been normal and touched on quite a lot of, “I will come visit here,” or “I will be sure to look into or review that issue, policy, problem, etc.”
Whereas being open to understanding the challenges that lie forward is sweet, Turner must hit the bottom operating with particular options. Time is brief and concrete methods to deal with housing challenges appear skinny.
Aside from requiring HUD staff to return to the workplace as a part of President Trump’s back-to-office mandate for federal employees and promising to take stock of all HUD packages and insurance policies, there was little or no in the way in which of actionable concepts proposed by him in comparison with many concepts shared by the senators on the committee.
Beneath is a abstract of his responses on a wide range of hot-button housing points. The complete listening to might be considered on C-SPAN.
Company landlords
Turner seemed to be much less knowledgeable than Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who was asking him for particular particulars about how one can cope with company landlords and the variety of properties they personal because it lessens alternatives for particular person homeownership. Warren cited that in 2022, 5 massive traders owned almost 300,000 houses and, in Turner’s state of Texas, huge traders purchased 28 p.c of all houses available on the market.
Turner’s response was that each one of this accounted for simply 2 p.c of the housing market. His response was “The more capital we can put in the market, the more we can create housing.” No particulars on the capital, how a lot or the place it could come from.
CDFIs and alternative zones
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), had totally different concepts on how one can generate inexpensive housing. He appeared extra of an skilled on this space than Turner himself. Warner dove into discussing Neighborhood Growth Funding Initiatives (CDFIs) that may serve underserved communities and touted the advantages of those together with revamping the chance zone packages with an emphasis on creating inexpensive housing and enterprise growth.
Warner additionally touched on placing knowledge facilities in lower-income areas that may generate tax income, which might be put right into a devoted housing belief that can be utilized to amass land to construct inexpensive housing. By doing so, Warner mentioned this waives quite a lot of prices and rules related to the constructing course of.
He invited Turner to go to a neighborhood in Virginia that has performed precisely that, and Turner mentioned he would sit up for the go to. Turner gave normal solutions however no particular concepts in response to all that Warner shared.
Homelessness
Turner proposes participating with native communities and faith-based establishments which have had actual outcomes with regard to homelessness and dealing with them.
Housing provide
When requested in regards to the availability of housing, Turner mentioned HUD has failed at its personal fundamental mission and that we want extra housing choices from flats, houses, condos, townhomes and manufactured housing. He additionally mentioned he would evaluate manufactured housing codes and make it much less cumbersome however didn’t go into particulars.
He believes a part of the issue with housing provide is that HUD has not made it a precedence to carry staff again to the workplace to serve the American individuals to deal with these points.
Housing prices
Senators Warren and Tina Smith (D-MN) requested Turner how the prices of housing might be lowered. He instructed Warren, “We have to get our fiscal house in order.” In response to a direct query from Smith, he responded that he encourages localities to evaluate their zoning legal guidelines, however that the federal government shouldn’t mandate them to be eased n order to make it simpler to construct.
On the similar time, Senator Katie Britt (R-NC) acknowledged throughout her time addressing Turner that she is aware of he’s dedicated to easing regulation, however no specifics had been talked about by both of them as to how that might be performed or inspired.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) raised considerations about inserting tariffs on lumber and gypsum and whether or not it could elevate the price of housing. Turner deferred on the tariff problem to President Trump however mentioned he was dedicated to taking a look at all the things that impacts the price of housing.
Low-income communities
He mentioned he commits to getting out to numerous cities in addition to Indian reservations to see about how he might present housing alternatives.
Part 8 housing
Turner mentioned he would evaluate this housing program, so it doesn’t penalize you for getting married and your revenue rising in consequence. When Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) requested him if he would help job necessities being tied to authorities housing packages like Part 8, he mentioned that he did.
Veteran housing points and homelessness
Turner mentioned he commits to serving to homeless veterans in addition to all homeless. He want to contain the personal sector to work with localities the place veteran populations are to debate how they might scale back regulation to assist enhance housing for veterans and mentioned he was dedicated to patriots having a roof over their heads.
DEI
Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced up the difficulty of DEI being associated to federal grant recipients beneath the Biden Administration and whether or not that was one thing that must be continued. Turner didn’t imagine that grant recipients must be associated to DEI.
Crime charges
Banks additionally introduced up that beneath the Obama Administration, actual property brokers couldn’t focus on crime charges with patrons and renters if requested. Banks thought that was ridiculous and requested Turner his ideas. He concurred and thanked the Senator for bringing it to his consideration, mentioned he can be dedicated to studying extra, and mentioned if he had been shopping for or renting, he would need to find out about crime charges. He acknowledged that you have to be absolutely clear with renters and patrons.
Local weather requirements
Banks mentioned excessive local weather customary necessities with respect to inexpensive housing beneath the Biden administration and cited elevated prices in consequence. He requested Turner if that was one thing he would help to which Turner replied something that’s burdensome to inexpensive housing must be checked out.
Unlawful immigration
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced up unlawful immigration and its influence on housing prices because it pertains to homelessness and having to offer housing for these individuals in addition to the influence on general price and lack of affordability of housing. Turner agreed that unlawful immigration has contributed to an general local weather of further prices on this regard and would take a look at what might be performed.
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) requested Turner about evicting mixed-status households from federal housing. Turner mentioned he would wish to place Americans first, even when that required making some onerous choices.
Insurance coverage
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced up the difficulty of insurance coverage and the challenges that lie forward with respect to that, and that it could be that there must be authorities intervention with insurance coverage — as a lot as he doesn’t need to see that, it could be a necessity. It was extra a degree being made to Turner and he didn’t add any data there. Blunt Rochester additionally introduced up insurance coverage, to which Turner mentioned he would examine the difficulty and acknowledged that it was an issue.
Public housing
Moreno implored Turner to return go to the general public housing initiatives in Cleveland and mentioned that circumstances had been so deplorable that we might be sanctioned by the United Nations for permitting unlawful immigrants to reside on this housing, not to mention Americans. Moreno additionally mentioned that there are individuals profiting off housing that’s in substandard situation, in order that can also be one thing that should be examined.
Rural communities
Turner was dedicated to seeing how inexpensive housing and packages to deal with repairs in rural communities might be achieved.
No actual options to long-standing points
The listening to mentioned the problems we hear frequently from our constituents — our shoppers and communities that we as actual property brokers serve day by day. There are quite a lot of speaking factors and hot-button points that want consideration, however no actual options apart from to evaluate all HUD packages and insurance policies first.
The primary problem that senators frequently introduced up was how one can make housing extra inexpensive and mentioned they’re repeatedly requested by their constituents what might be performed on this regard.
It looks like there are extra questions than solutions at this level. Turner has a monumental job in entrance of him, and it was evident that he must rise up to hurry on all these issues sooner than his appointed time period would seemingly enable.
What’s going to Turner really be capable of accomplish and implement? We should wait and see. As facilitators and leaders of the American Dream in our communities, we have to take an lively position, become involved, and maintain our native, state, and federal governments accountable for doing extra on this area.
Cara Ameer is a bi-coastal agent licensed in California and Florida with Coldwell Banker. You may observe her on Fb or on X, previously generally known as Twitter.
