Dear Mr. President & Cabinet,
Preface
- A typical $350,000 house today (2026) would have been priced in the $230,000–$250,000 range in 2018 dollars, based on cumulative CPI inflation since 2018 (depending on regional data and construction-specific costs).
- This means the “new normal” price tag looks inflated on paper — the house hasn’t gotten better or bigger; the dollar has simply lost purchasing power.
Recommendations
1. Close the Crowdfunding & Fractional-Ownership Workaround.
Platforms that pool third-party/retail investor money (minimums as low as $10–$5,000) to acquire residential properties at scale are already functioning like “crowd-funded institutions.” They enable the same rapid absorption the order targets.
2. Restrict iBuyer & Large-Inventory Cash-Offer Platforms
Unsolicited cash offers are a long-standing part of American real estate. The problem is the scale, speed, and inorganic nature of modern iBuyer companies and similar tech-driven models that use raised capital to acquire and hold large inventories of single-family homes in normal housing markets where first-time buyers save years for a down payment and see homes as their primary nest egg. These platforms create pressure, inflate comps, and reduce inventory available to owner-occupants through high-volume acquisitions and holding for speculative resale, rental or savvy accounting purposes.
Action:
- Completely halt the practice of large-scale iBuyer / cash-offer inventory accumulation by companies or platforms that acquire more than X single-family homes annually for speculative purposes.
- Require any unsold inventory held by such companies to be offered first to verified first-time or low-to-moderate-income buyers at or below market value, with preference given to owner-occupants.
- Provide tax incentives (e.g., capital-gains relief or accelerated depreciation) to companies that comply with this conversion requirement, ensuring the inventory is moved into the hands of families rather than held as assets.
Action:
- Cap or ban mortgages (e.g., max 50% LTV) on properties licensed for short-term rentals or held in crowdfunding portfolios. Require owners of licensed short-term rentals to hold the property in a cash/equity-only position (no new financing allowed after licensing) to limit absorption of affordable long-term stock.
- Tie federal insurance/guarantees to equity-only requirements for any property used as a short-term rental, preventing leveraged conversion of existing rental inventory.
- Require cities and local jurisdictions to issue short-term rental licenses to monitor and report on their impact on long-term housing availability. Excluding already established high cost of living markets local governments should maintain a department or tracking system to ensure quality affordable housing under $1,000/month remains available especially elder housing.
4. Terminate or Strictly Regulate Automated Valuation Models (AVMs)
Automated valuation models (AVMs) emerged suddenly and without public consent, using public data, algorithms, and loose assumptions to generate property estimates that are often speculative, inaccurate, or biased. These valuations are used in unsolicited cash offers, comps, appraisals, and listings, creating unnecessary pressure on owners and raising concerns about their influence on market behavior. The mere presence of AVMs can become a self-fulfilling dynamic: a generated valuation may affect how owners, buyers, or appraisers perceive or act in the market, even if no sale occurs.
Action:
- Preferred: CFPB and FTC to issue joint guidance effectively terminating the use of AVMs for residential properties without explicit owner consent, or banning their use entirely in markets where they raise significant concerns (e.g., high-growth Florida metros).
- Fallback (if full termination is not feasible): Require mandatory opt-in consent from the property owner (or anyone with legal interest) before any AVM is run on their property or the resulting valuation is used, advertised, shared, or incorporated into comps/appraisals.
- Mandate a simple, permanent, one-step opt-out/remove mechanism so owners can block their property from AVMs.
- Prohibit non-consented AVM data from being used in appraisals, lending decisions, or public comps.
- Enforce against platforms or data providers that ignore opt-outs or continue to use without consented valuations as unfair or deceptive practices.
8. Outlaw the “Walt Disney Method” of Condo Board Takeovers
A common practice among large developers (often called the “Walt Disney method”) involves buying up a controlling number of units in an existing condominium or HOA community, then using majority ownership to take over the board, amend bylaws, waive reserves, dissolve protections, or push through redevelopment plans that benefit the developer at the expense of long-term residents. This tactic has been used in Florida and other states to convert older condos into luxury projects or high-density developments, displacing existing owners and renters while bypassing normal community consent processes.Action:
- HUD and DOJ to issue model state legislation prohibiting developers (or any entity) from acquiring a controlling interest in an existing condo/HOA board for the purpose of overriding resident protections or forcing redevelopment without supermajority resident approval (e.g., 75–80% of all unit owners, not just a simple majority of board seats).
- Require any developer acquiring >20% of units in a community to disclose intent and obtain independent resident vote approval before any board takeover, bylaw change, or redevelopment plan.
- Impose civil penalties and license revocation for developers that engage in this practice without proper consent.
- Offer federal housing grants to states that adopt these protections to ensure older condo communities remain stable and affordable for existing residents.
9. Address Construction Cost Inflation (COGS) to Enable Affordable New Supply
Building new homes is now 30–50%+ more expensive than the 2017–2019 “normal” market due to material inflation (lumber/steel/concrete up 40–100% at peak, still 30–50% higher), labor shortages/wage pressure (skilled trades up 25–40%), permitting delays (adding 10–20% via inflation exposure), and energy/logistics costs (up 30–50%). Even with speculation reduced, new supply remains too costly to bring prices back down meaningfully.
Action:
- Reduce material tariffs on imported lumber, steel, aluminum, gypsum, and appliances to lower input costs (target 10–20% reduction).
- Boost domestic production through tax credits or accelerated depreciation for new lumber mills, steel plants, and prefab/modular factories (aim for 20–30% increase in U.S. output by 2028).
- Expand skilled labor supply via federal/state funding for apprenticeships, vocational programs, and skilled-trade immigration reforms (target 200,000–300,000 new workers nationwide by 2028).
- Streamline permitting with federal incentives for cities/counties that cut approval times (e.g., 6–18 months to 3–6 months) via pre-approved designs and fee waivers for affordable projects.
- Offer builder credits for projects using domestic materials/labor or modular construction to offset inflation and encourage supply growth without raising prices.
11. Require Clear Disclosure & Labeling for Media Sponsored by Developers or Government Departments
Local and regional media outlets frequently act as promotional arms for rapid development projects, redevelopment deals, and government initiatives. Stories often emphasize economic benefits, official statements, and project renderings while minimizing or omitting citizen opposition, petitions, environmental impacts, legal administrative procedures, or affordability concerns. When media coverage is sponsored, funded, or coordinated by developers or government departments, it creates a conflict of interest that obscures the full picture and reinforces incentive misalignment.
Action:
- Direct the FTC and FCC to issue guidance requiring any media content (print, broadcast, online, social media) sponsored, funded, or coordinated by real estate developers, redevelopment agencies, or government departments to be clearly and prominently labeled as “Paid Promotion,” “Sponsored Content,” or “Government-Funded Advertisement” — similar to Instagram’s “Paid Partnership” disclosures.
- Labels must appear at the top of the article/video/post and be visible without scrolling/clicking.
- Require disclosure of the sponsoring entity and the nature of the funding/relationship (e.g., “Sponsored by [Developer Name]” or “Produced with support from [City Department]”).
- Enforce penalties for non-disclosure under existing FTC native advertising rules and FCC sponsorship identification requirements.
Closing
Licensed Florida R.E. Broker
#MrDTwpb 🌴 #Gr8rUSa 🇺🇸
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