- Because of years of underproduction, the US housing shortage, once considered a coastal problem, now affects virtually all parts of the country. [Bloomberg / Noah Buhayar]
- The US is now 3.8 million homes short of meeting demand — a figure that doubled between 2012-2019, according to the research group Up for Growth. The problem persists across dozens of states and hundreds of urban areas. [NYT / Emily Badger and Eve Washington]
- During the 2008 housing crash, many builders went out of business. Over the following decade, the US built fewer homes than it needed. [NPR / Chris Arnold, Robert Benincasa, Jacqueline Ganun, and Haidee Chu]
- The lack of supply worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, as Americans in search of more space bought homes with the help of low interest rates. The shortage has led to surging prices for homes and rent. [Al Jazeera / Radmilla Suleymanova]
- This year, the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates to curb record inflation, which could lessen demand and make buying a home more affordable. However, the problem of undersupply is likely to persist. [The Hill / Sylvan Lane]
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