 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Affordability is Key When patriots dumped tea in Boston Harbor it caught the authorities’ attention, as did an NAHB campaign two centuries later. In the 1960s mortgage interest rates had hovered in the 6–7% range, after which they steadily rose. By 1980 they had effectively doubled, and housing starts had dropped by nearly 750,000 in just two years. Houses were becoming unaffordable to many Americans. And for builders, this contracting market had a more immediate effect, for it wasn’t just the dream of homeownership that was threatened, but their very livelihoods as well. So in 1980 NAHB asked Congress: “Where will our children live?” It was the delivery of that message that caught their attention, much as the patriots in Boston had done earlier. NAHB urged its members to write Congress, expressing their concerns on foot long 2x4s. These “letters” arrived by the truckload and were displayed on the Capitol’s steps. Congress got the message. |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |