The issues of housing supply and affordability continue to drive the conversation in real estate. In its ongoing effort to address those issues, NAR leveraged its presence in Houston to bring together leaders from across the country.
Representatives from the America’s Housing Comeback coalition—a national partnership of the National League of Cities, American Planning Association, National Association of Home Builders and NAR—gathered during NAR NXT, the REALTOR® Experience. The coalition includes 10 members of the National Association of REALTORS® and is co-chaired by Muriel Bowser, the Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., and Mark Shepherd, the Republican mayor of Clearfield, Utah.
Advocating for Wider Access to Homeownership
NAR’s 2025 President Kevin Sears said NAR’s involvement in America’s Housing Comeback ties into the organization's broader advocacy efforts: Efforts to increase housing supply, improve affordability and equip communities with the tools they need to meet their housing needs represent major priorities for NAR’s state and local advocacy efforts.
At the meeting, coalition members discussed how state and local governments can remove barriers to development and leverage creative financing strategies to address their housing needs. The focus was on actionable solutions, with a particular interest in supporting public-private partnerships.
NAR Deputy Chief Economist and Vice President of Research Jessica Lautz set the table by reaffirming NAR’s oft-quoted data on the housing supply shortage. While “housing supply varies across regions,” Lautz said, “overall, the United States needs as many as 5 million more homes to meet demand.”
James Cristbrook, ABR, AWHD, a Birmingham, Mich., real estate professional who represents NAR on the coalition, said the issues of supply and affordability aren’t just about today’s consumers but also about “serving our communities that need to experience generational wealth and haven’t had an opportunity to do that.”
Indeed, homeownership is the way many Americans steadily—over months and years of paying a mortgage—build equity. Recent reporting shows that homeowners have an average of $430,000 in net worth compared to just $10,000 for renters.
Coalition representatives bring a diverse range of expertise to the task of widening opportunities. In addition to serving the citizens of Clearfield, Utah, for example, Shepherd is a board member of the NLC. He’s also a REALTOR®. “As a mayor and a REALTOR® association member, I get to see both sides of the table as we’re talking about housing supply and affordability,” he said.
Finding Solutions, Winning Public Support
At the November meeting, coalition members and panelists agreed that no single solution would address the issues of affordability and supply. Presenters and attendees focused on the need for an “all-of-the-above” approach.
Many of the solutions presented are aspects of the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook, a menu of options developed by NAR and partners that can be tailored by local stakeholders to increase housing supply. The Housing Comeback Coalition is an initiative born out of the work of the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook.
Presenters from the NAR NXT host city shared a key example of why this all-of-the-above approach is necessary. Houston is known for having no zoning—but it still faces housing affordability issues. Some of this, according to panelists, can be attributed to a lack of public awareness and “NIMBYism,” an aversion to affordable housing projects. “There’s a responsibility for changing the narrative around these projects,” said Houston Council Member Tiffany Thomas during a panel discussion on public-private partnerships.
REALTORS® can move the needle by getting involved in their local and national associations and engaging with local elected officials, economic development groups and builders, Cristbrook said. “If we can work with those folks on that level, it helps us make change and drive that national conversation. “We care about our communities, and we do it through initiatives like this.”
