Podcast: Biden Administration Is Making it Harder to Finance Homes
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) was busy last week, publishing two new determinations that increase the requirements for borrowers to use federal mortgage programs when purchasing new homes.
On the latest episode of the NAHB podcast Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez welcome to the program Jessica Lynch, VP of Housing Finance, to discuss the new rules.
First, Lynch explains the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard from HUD that will require a complicated, three-tiered process for determining the extent of the floodplain, with a preference for a climate-informed science approach, for owners of new homes to qualify for FHA mortgage insurance.
Lynch then discusses the recent move by HUD to require all new homes purchased under certain mortgage program to be built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), regardless of whether a state or jurisdiction has adopted that version of the IECC.
Watch the full episode below and subscribe to Housing Development through your favorite podcast provider or watch all the episodes on YouTube.
Latest from NAHBNow
The Trump administration set an expiration date of Sept. 9 for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, affecting roughly 200,000 Salvadoran TPS holders in the U.S. and further straining the construction industry’s labor shortage.
The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced a supplemental proposed rule offering a new approach to defining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.
Latest Economic News
Building a new single-family home took less time in 2025 compared to the previous three years. On average, it now takes 8.8 months from start to finish. That time includes 1.4 months for authorization to start construction and another 7.4 months to finish construction.
The average time needed to complete construction of a multifamily building after obtaining authorization edged down in 2025, according to the 2025 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau.
The U.S. labor market rebounded in August, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 162,000 and upward revisions adding 55,000 jobs to June and July. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, as both employment and the labor force participation rate rose over the month.