As the Senate advances the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a comprehensive bipartisan package aimed at tackling the nation’s housing supply and affordability challenges head-on, the real estate industry anticipates results that will help American consumers who face high home prices and rents, limited inventory and a low supply of small starter homes.
For generations, homeownership has stood at the center of the “American dream.” Recent researchpdf confirms that belief remains strong: 85% of Americans still say owning a home is an essential part of that dream.
Related: Bipartisan Housing Bill Passes House of Representatives
“NAR has consistently called for a comprehensive, bipartisan approach to address our nation’s housing supply crisis,” says Shannon McGahn, executive vice president and chief advocacy officer of the National Association of REALTORS®. “America faces a shortage of nearly 4.7 million homes, and affordability challenges continue to push homeownership further out of reach. The median age of a first-time buyer has climbed to 40, a clear sign that the system is not working for too many people across this country.”
NAR Advocacy in Action
In October 2025, the Senate passed the bipartisan Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025 (ROAD to Housing Act), legislation that represented a comprehensive federal response to housing challenges, targeting barriers that have made it increasingly difficult for families to achieve homeownership. NAR strongly supported the bill and urged the Senate to act.
On Dec. 3, 2025, NAR Immediate Past President Kevin Sears testified before the House Financial Services Committee in support of key housing reforms, many of which were later folded into the sweeping bipartisan package that passed the House with broad support last month.
“We urge Congress to advance policies that increase housing production and encourage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of existing properties, and support innovation in construction methods and housing types. Many of these ideas have bipartisan support in both chambers, including provisions in the Senate’s recently passed ROAD to Housing Act,” Sears said in his testimony.
Now the Senate is combining both bills into the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, and NAR is urging the Senate to send it to the president’s desk.
“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act represents the type of meaningful reform we have long advocated for,” McGahn adds. “It confronts barriers to housing at every level by helping communities plan and build for growth, streamlining federal processes that delay construction, modernizing financing options for manufactured and rural housing, improving access to credit and strengthening awareness of VA home loan benefits. These are practical steps that can help boost supply, lower costs and expand opportunity.”
Key Additions to the New Legislation Focus on Supply
At the heart of the legislation is a growing bipartisan consensus: The affordability crisis is fundamentally a supply problem. Without modernizing housing policy and removing barriers to construction, inventory will continue to lag behind demand.
By tackling housing barriers at every level of government, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act offers the kind of comprehensive approach needed to restore affordability and expand homeownership opportunities for more Americans, NAR says. The legislation equips communities with new tools and resources to plan for growth, streamlines federal processes that can slow housing development and strengthens financing options for manufactured and rural housing.
It also modernizes key federal programs, including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, helping to broaden access to homeownership, improve access to credit for buyers and ensure veterans are better informed about and able to fully use their benefits through the VA Home Loan Program.
Bipartisan Momentum
Housing affordability is not a partisan issue, NAR says. Families in urban, suburban and rural communities alike are grappling with rising costs and limited inventory. The housing shortage will not be solved overnight.
But by tackling barriers at every level of government, expanding housing supply and creating new pathways to homeownership, the current legislation represents a meaningful step forward.
