Washington, DC, Is Failing in Affordability and Homebuilding: Can Mayor Bowser Reverse the Trend?

"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.""

"The Realtor.com analysis gave Washington, DC., a total score of 42.6, placing it close to the bottom of areas in the country. The District's median listing price soared to $610,723 in 2024, while the median household income was $98,916. Even with relatively high earnings, the Realtors Affordability Score was just 0.67-one of the lowest in the nation-showing that only a small fraction of listings are affordable for median-income households."

"The nation's capital faces one of the toughest housing markets in the country. The Realtor.com® State-by-State Housing Report Card gave Washington, DC, a C-, signaling a crisis of affordability and constrained supply. The report-part of the Let America Build campaign-evaluates how well each state balances home prices with new construction. President Donald Trump recently put pressure on homebuilders to increase construction nationwide, given the issues with construction in the country."

Washington, DC received a C- and a total score of 42.6 on the Realtor.com State-by-State Housing Report Card. The District's median listing price reached $610,723 in 2024 while median household income was $98,916, producing a Realtors Affordability Score of just 0.67. New construction remains constrained by geography and policy: DC accounted for only 0.1% of national housing permits in 2024 while representing about 0.2% of the U.S. population, yielding a permit-to-population ratio of 0.5. Political pressure has targeted homebuilders to increase output amid concerns about lot hoarding.

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