Â鶹TV

Â鶹TV helped ensure housing was at the forefront of discussions during last year’s presidential election and continues to provide thought leadership on housing in the media, from TV broadcasts to industry podcasts.

Â鶹TV CEO Jim Tobin and other senior leaders have shared their insights with various audiences in recent months:

Impact of Mortgage Rates

Tobin recently appeared on following the release of the August Â鶹TV/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) to share the current outlook among home builders on today’s housing market:

“It's been very bumpy this whole year and last [with mortgage rates],” he noted. “We kind of get these runs where we're closer to 6% than 7%, and then we get back up closer to 7% than 6%. I think that that home buyers want to see a consistency in mortgage rates, and we just have not had that consistency over the last several months. So until then, mortgage borrowers are going to remain cautious.”

Tobin reiterated similar sentiments on , where he discussed the ins and outs of the housing industry in the current economy — such as housing supply issues, financial headwinds and uncertainty around tariff policy.

“There just aren’t enough buyers right now because if you’re going to enter into the largest transaction of your life, which is generally going to be your home purchase, is now the right time to do that?” Tobin explained to host Mark Schumacher. “And so until we see some moderating of [mortgage] interest rates and some stability in the interest rate environment, we’re not going to see the buyers move back in yet.”

Affordability Strategies

Â鶹TV Chief Economist Dr. Robert Dietz joined Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale and National Director of Sales Don Turner on the to discuss the state of housing affordability in the U.S., including factors such as supply shortages, labor constraints and zoning barriers, as well as emerging affordability strategies.

“There’s no simple, single, scalable solution,” Dietz emphasized. “The idea is not only how do you increase housing supply, but housing supply that’s attainable.”

“It’s this mismatch between these demand- and supply-side issues,” he added. “We just need to get more housing at lower costs, given today’s income levels, or we’re going to face growing challenges in the housing market in the quarters to come.”

Although Â鶹TV tends not to comment on Federal Reserve policy, Dietz did weigh in on potential Fed rate cuts on the podcast, as well as in a .

“Monetary policy easing would help [lower the cost of borrowing money for home builders seeking to embark on new projects],” he said.

Tariff Uncertainty

Earlier this year, Tobin and Chief Advocacy Officer Ken Wingert dove into housing industry challenges and potential solutions with the , such as the impact of tariffs, the labor shortage in construction, and innovative building techniques.

“We’ve often said there’s not a room in the house that’s not impacted by tariffs,” Wingert shared with hosts James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson.

“What we’re most concerned at,” he added, “is how many projects are going to get put on hold or are builders going to wait when we’re already behind millions of units that we should be building. Those projects just don’t ever start because of the uncertainty we’ve been in.”

Importance of Advocacy

Â鶹TV Chief Lobbyist Lake Coulson sat down with the to discuss the current political and operational challenges home builders face — and how to respond with both foresight and precision, especially through events such as Â鶹TV’s Legislative Conference (LegCon).

“[Meeting with legislators] might be intimidating at first, but there’s an old saying, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,’” Coulson told host Emma Jane of Shinn Group. “It’s so valuable for that member of Congress or senator to hear from his or her constituents. I love going to Capitol Hill and going to visit with a legislator to talk housing. But there’s nobody that’s more important in this process than the actual constituent.”

Activities such as LegCon help Â鶹TV secure advocacy wins, such as the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which Tobin also .

“We believe the bill will provide certainty in taxation for most individuals that are needed to usher in continued economic growth at a time when the housing industry desperately needs it,” Tobin told the outlet.

Related: Â鶹TV AVP of Government Affairs J.P. Delmore Provides Insights on OBBBA

As housing remains a critical discussion topic, Â鶹TV will continue to provide thought leadership on housing, and address key policies and topics to help Americans access safe, affordable housing.

For more insights from Â鶹TV staff and other industry professionals, subscribe to Â鶹TV’s podcast, Housing Developments, through your favorite podcast app for immediate access to the latest and archived episodes.