Hello REALTORS®,
When I was young, I remember asking my parents if we were there yet during long road trips. I am sure many of you did that as well. Well, in government affairs, we never really reach the destination. Government affairs is just a series of stops on a never-ending trip that fictional West Wing President Jed Bartlett called “the show that never ends.” For the record, I am a West Wing fan.
This week, our stop is in Washington, DC, where your National Association of REALTORS® has reported progress on several key affordable housing policy initiatives. While we are there, we’ll also check in on what President Trump did on affordable housing last week.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing ACT
This legislation gathers up many, many separate housing policy initiatives into one “omnibus” bill. The US House passed its version of this bill a few weeks ago. Last week, the US Senate passed its version of the bill. Now both bodies need to reconcile their bills into a single bill that they will send to the President. This is what the Senate version of the bill does:
- Enables the HUD Secretary to give added weight to applicants for competitive HUD grants that are in, or primarily serve, designated Opportunity Zones to support housing preservation and construction.
- Authorizes a pilot program to offer grants and forgivable loans to eligible recipients to address home repair needs and health hazards to stabilize aging housing stock.
- Adds new construction as an eligible use under HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
- Cuts red tape around environmental reviews, empowering state, local, and tribal governments to streamline reviews and increase housing development.
- Right-sizes National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review for small and infill housing projects, which will simplify the review process and get projects to construction faster.
- Authorizes a pilot program to offer competitive grants to assist state, local, and tribal governments with regional housing planning and community development activities.
- Authorizes a program to offer highly flexible funding for communities that are building more housing supply, which can be used to improve community infrastructure and build housing.
- Authorizes a grant program to help communities establish pre-approved housing designs, or pattern books, to help streamline and expedite local construction processes and build more homes.
- Requires the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to increase multifamily loan limits to better match housing market costs and enhance affordability.
- Updates the federal definition of manufactured housing to include units not built on a permanent chassis to encourage innovation and expand naturally occurring affordable housing. It also ensures that no energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing take effect until adopted by HUD.
- Requires FHA to assess barriers to FHA-insured lending for modular housing and directs the HUD Secretary to consider modifying the financing draw schedule to encourage modular housing construction.
- Updates mortgage lending standards for manufactured housing through FHA and expands access to financing for housing. The section also directs HUD to study the cost-effectiveness and long-term value of supporting housing finance for factory-built housing.
- Requires the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue a report to Congress on the effect of various aspects of loan originator compensation on the availability of small-dollar mortgage loans and to assess the barriers they pose to the availability of small-dollar mortgages to consumers. It also gives the CFPB the flexibility to amend rules to encourage small-dollar loan origination. The bill also requires CFPB and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to evaluate the impact of existing regulations that limit the points and fees that lenders can charge on qualified mortgage loans, which vary by loan limit. Based on such evaluation, the provision directs CFPB to make any necessary regulatory changes to points and fees to help encourage additional lending for small-dollar mortgages.
- Authorizes a pilot program under HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) initiative to promote economic mobility and homeownership by enabling more families to grow their household savings.
- Reduces HUD inspection delays by allowing units that are financed through other federal housing programs to automatically satisfy voucher inspection requirements if inspected within the past year. Additionally, the bill permits new landlords to request pre-inspections to increase access to housing and encourage landlord participation.
- Permanently authorizes the CDBG–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and establishes the Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency within HUD to administer the program.
- Reforms and reauthorizes the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. It makes critical updates to improve program administration and facilitate the construction of more affordable housing.
- Reforms the USDA Rural Housing Service, including by decoupling rental assistance from maturing mortgages to preserve affordable housing in rural areas. This section will help preserve housing access for 400,000 rural families.
- Adds a disclosure to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s uniform residential loan application form to ensure that veterans are made aware of their home loan benefits through the VA, which may provide a more affordable lending option.
- Improves transparency for veteran homebuyers by requiring FHA mortgage disclosures to include cost comparison information to make veterans aware of their home loan benefits through the VA and help them compare those options to FHA financing.
- Requires USDA, FHA, and FHFA to implement and maintain requirements that federally backed mortgage lenders have a review and resolution procedure for consumer-initiated second appraisals, or reconsiderations of value, when they believe there may be an issue with their appraised home value.
- Directs HUD, USDA, and the VA to identify areas for collaboration to streamline and improve housing program implementation.
- Directs HUD and USDA to coordinate on joint environmental reviews for housing projects funded by both agencies.
That’s a lot, I know. That’s why they call it an “omnibus” bill. NAR supports each of these provisions and continues to advocate for the bill’s passage. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has been a primary sponsor of this legislation, and wrote an op ed in support of it, which you can read here.
President Trump Signs to Housing Executive Orders
Last Friday, President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at the root causes of the housing affordability crisis: excessive federal red tape and limited access to mortgage credit.
The first order, Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction, directs agencies to streamline permitting, cut duplicative requirements, and ease overly burdensome environmental rules that have driven up building costs for years.
The second order improves financing options for buyers and homebuilders, including modernized appraisal rules and tailored mortgage standards that can help more families qualify without compromising responsible lending.
Election Filing
Filing opened Monday, March 16, 12 noon. Already, more than 50 candidates have filed for the various races on which voters in the Western Upstate will vote.
The first opportunity to vote will be June 9 in the primary elections for the two major political parties: Republican and Democratic. But several candidates have also filed from the lesser-known parties; sometimes called third parties. They include Libertarian, United Citizens, Green, and others. Those parties choose their candidates in party conventions.
We’ll continue to monitor the election filings until they close on March 30, 12 noon. Then your association will screen the candidates and prepare a Voter Guide to help Realtors do their own evaluation before you vote.
Consider Supporting RPAC
You and your association can influence how your government affects you and regulates your industry.
Elections are an important way that your association represents you and helps make a strong market for real estate. Elections are also an important way that you participate in your government. Your association’s objective is to help elect candidates who share the Realtor position that a vibrant and healthy real estate market is vital to a vibrant and healthy economy. Of course, you must balance your personal and business interests when you vote.
More than 90% of Realtors in the Western Upstate are registered to vote, which is amazing. But just 31% supported RPAC in 2025.
You can help your industry by supporting RPAC. It’s easy. Your association includes a voluntary contribution to RPAC on your annual dues invoice. Pay it, and you are an RPAC supporter. If you haven’t supported RPAC this year, I encourage you to do so by clicking here.
Michael Dey, Director of Government Affairs