New ULI Report Details Affordable Homeownership Obstacles

Apr 18, 2019

The Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing has teamed with the real estate analytics firm RCLCO on a new report that traces the roots of the ongoing shortage of affordable homeownership opportunities for moderate-income homebuyers, including first-time buyers, and proposes solutions to increase the supply.

The report, “Attainable Housing: Challenges, Perceptions and Solutions,” noted the mismatch between what buyers are looking for and what builders are constructing—nearly 50 percent of delivered homes are four bedrooms or more, while less than 10 percent offer one and two bedrooms. Builders are also burdened with higher construction costs, increased regulations and a lack of available skilled workers, the report noted.

"It is an important as ever for the industry to build all types of housing, and especially to find ways to build nonsubsidized housing for middle-class buyers," says the report. "Ultimately, this type of housing–attainable housing–will relieve the current downward pressure on the market that has kept renters from becoming homeowners and has made housing increasingly unaffordable for Americans at lower income levels."

About the author

Phil Hall

Link copied

Published

Apr 18, 2019

Analysis and Data

Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

The September jobs report gave the mortgage market something it hasn't had much of lately: downward pressure on Treasury yields.U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ...

Wholesale

The Loan Store Rebrands As Averra Financial

The wholesale lender is adopting a new identity three years after acquiring Homepoint’s wholesale business and rising to No. 4 in industry rankings

The Loan Store has a new name after a three-year expansion that transformed the once-small wholesale lender into one of the largest players in the broker channel.The Tucson, Arizona-based lender has rebranded as Averra Financial Inc., effective immediately, the company annou...

Nov

Houston, TX

More from

Analysis and Data

Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

Analysis and Data

Oct 02, 2026

Price Cuts Hit Four-Year High As Mortgage Rates Top 7%

More than one in five listings took a price cut in September, but pending sales still posted their sharpest annual decline since March 2025

Analysis and Data

Oct 01, 2026

Serious Mortgage Delinquencies Rise 19% After Five Months Of Improvement

ICE data shows 574,000 mortgages were at least 90 days past due in August, while early-stage delinquencies remained below year-ago levels

Analysis and Data

Sep 29, 2026

Smaller Down Payments Give Buyers More Room, But Rates Limit The Savings

The typical down payment fell 9% from a year ago, while shifting market conditions are giving originators different affordability conversations across the country

Analysis and Data

Sep 25, 2026

Mortgage Rates Break 7% Just As Builders Find A Way To Move Buyers

New-home sales rose 6.4% in August as builders cut prices, offered incentives, and sold more lower-priced homes. Now mortgage rates are moving against buyers again

Analysis and Data

Sep 25, 2026

Borrowers Want Digital Closings, But Some Originators Remain Hesitant

ServiceLink finds 45% of surveyed LOs cite borrower reluctance as a barrier, even though most recent buyers say digital options would influence their choice of mortgage provider

Tech

Sep 23, 2026

Popular