"Montana's wide-open spaces may be iconic, but its housing market is tightening fast. The Realtor.com® State-by-State Housing Report Card gave the Treasure State a D, underscoring just how far behind it has fallen in both affordability and construction. The report, part of the Let America Build campaign, evaluates each state's ability to balance current affordability with new home supply. For Montana, a booming population and limited new construction have created one of the sharpest affordability declines in the nation."
"But make no mistake, this is still a national problem. In fact, President Donald Trump recently put pressure on homebuilders to increase construction nationwide, given the issues with construction in the country. In a post on his Truth Social platform in early October, he accused major builders of hoarding lots to prop up prices-likening them to OPEC, which restricts oil output to maintain high prices."
""They're my friends ... but now, they can get Financing, and they have to start building Homes. They're sitting on 2 Million empty lots, A RECORD," Trump wrote. He urged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to intervene and "get Big Homebuilders going" to "restore the American Dream.""
Montana received a D grade for housing, reflecting a sharp affordability decline driven by a booming population and limited new construction. The state's median listing price reached $634,523 in 2024 while median household income was $69,683, leaving most buyers priced out of ownership. The Realtors Affordability Score of 0.40 was the weakest in the nation, indicating very few listings are attainable for middle-income households. Montana accounted for only 0.4% of national housing permits despite roughly 0.3% of the U.S. population, producing a permit-to-population ratio near 1.3 and constrained supply. Pressure has risen on homebuilders to increase construction and on government entities to intervene.
Read at SFGATE
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