In this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy discuss what the wildfires mean for homeowners insurance nationwide and the long-term impact the wildfires will have on the homebuilding process, including the prognosis for factory-built homes. Next, Steve Royster, Head of Community Banking & Marketing at MoCaFi (Mobility Capital Finance), joins the show to talk about his work reaching and helping unbanked Americans. “There are credit-worthy people in black and brown communities, underbanked communities, that deserve access to capital,” says Steve. Steve says MoCaFi’s fintech solutions and financial education programs will help close the racial wealth gap, and their work will continue regardless of changing views about DEI in some corporate boardrooms. MoCaFi has previously partnered with Los Angeles to help disburse COVID relief funds to the unbanked via Angeleno Connect cards, a program that could be utilized again to provide disaster relief funds.

Donate to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen, and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. 

Impacted by the wildfires? Fannie Mae’s Here to Help program can connect you at no cost with a housing counselor to help you through the process. 

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It’s a time unlike any other in the housing industry. In this special episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy review the highlight reel of some of their favorite guests from 2024, discussing insights learned and revealing their big bets for 2025. Hear their positive & negative takes on the housing industry heading into 2025, including what rising insurance and property taxes will mean for homeowners, predictions on where builders will turn their attention in the new year, and what home financing and lending could look like in the future.  

Background reading:

WSJ (subscription required):  Insurance and Property Taxes Now Cost more Than Mortgage For Many Homeowners

Steve Randy Waldman’s blog on Microcities

CFPB sues Rocket for alleged RESPA violations

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments, and subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

Jared Stasik, Partner at Detroit Venture Partners (DVP), joins Housing Insiders to chat a day in the life of funding early-stage tech companies, including housing startups. DVP was founded in 2010 by Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans/Rocket Mortgage Founder & Chairman and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a vision to grow Detroit's entrepreneurial community. Hear how Jared decides what types of housing companies to invest in, the typical timeline for housing companies to reach a return, how to navigate the heavy regulation in the housing industry, the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in housing startups, and whether housing startups can tackle the housing affordability crisis.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

Hugh Frater, the former CEO of Fannie Mae (and Jonathan’s old boss) joins Housing Insiders to offer his blunt take on solving the housing crisis. According to Frater, "I don't think we should be promoting homeownership per se. I think we should just be finding ways to deliver more housing without regard to whether it's rental or for sale." As Chairman of Vessel Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of panelized multifamily apartment buildings that are “Class A housing at a Class B rent,” Frater is trying to do just that.

Vessel has 500-600 units of workforce housing in various stages of development across Connecticut, with expansion plans in Florida and New Jersey in the new year. While Frater admits "the road to hell has been paved with failed modular companies," he believes Vessel's elegant design and simple assembly process, combined with the rising demand for “attainable” housing, makes Vessel a promising player. Frater also shares his thoughts on the future of the GSEs and his “magic wand” wish for zoning in the US.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

Ivy Zelman is the CEO of Zelman & Associates. When it comes to housing trends, Ivy has developed a reputation for “seeing around corners,’’ and her accurate forecasts – including predicting the 2008 housing crash - make her one of the most influential people we know. In this episode, Ivy takes out her crystal ball once again and has some harsh warnings for the industry about the headwinds she sees coming from climate change, and how that will impact migration trends across the US. Plus, Ivy shares her outlook for Millennial and Gen Z homeownership over the next few decades, and the business she would start today if she had the chance.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

The down payment on a home continues to be unrealistic for many Americans. How can we change that? Landy Liu is the Founder of Foyer, a savings platform for first-time homebuyers. Think of it as the “401(k) for homeownership.” Hear him reveal how their savings platform works, the key things to keep in mind as a first-time homebuyer, what the government can do to help first-time homebuyers, how Foyer makes money, and what he wishes existed in the housing market. Following the interview, you’ll meet Foyer customer Gui de Araujo, who shares his homeownership journey.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

With traditional homeownership more unattainable than ever, aspirational homeowners are exploring ‘rent-to-own’ options. K.C. Cleary is the Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Pathway Homes, a real estate company that provides new construction rentals to tenants, with the option to purchase them over time. Cleary explains that renting gives tenants time to build their credit score and save for a down payment, while ‘test driving’ a home and neighborhood to make sure it’s a good fit. In this conversation, Jonathan and Jeremy ask Cleary about who his customers are, how models like this can scale, and whether this is a viable pathway to home equity for millions of Americans currently locked out of the American Dream.

To kick things off, Jonathan and Jeremy discuss whether a 40-year mortgage is a good idea, plus Jeremy’s takeaways from the HousingWire IMB Summit.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by Bilt Rewards

The 2024 presidential election is only weeks away, and housing is front and center as a campaign issue like never before, with each candidate promising they have a plan to make housing more plentiful and affordable. To break down what Trump and Harris’ campaign promises are all about, we talk to Jeb Mason, a partner at public policy consultancy Mindset, and a housing wonk like us. There are promises of down payment assistance and new homes across federal lands, but as Jeb points out, “Neither candidate is really talking about a deliberate reversal of the monetary and fiscal stimulus that got us into and exacerbated this housing affordability crisis.” And since you all are Housing Insiders, you’ll want to hear Jeb’s thoughts on the prospects for GSE reform.

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The homebuilding process is slow and expensive. Jonathan says it’s driven by the Three L’s: Lumber, Laws, and Labor. Aleks Gampel, Co-Founder of Cuby, is here to help that. Cuby deploys Mobile Micro-Factories (MMFs) globally to solve challenges within the home construction economy and beyond. Aleks, Jonathan, and Jeremy discuss navigating the issues with home construction today, how the MMFs work, Cuby’s ideal customers, how housing supply will drive home costs down, and his thoughts on ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units).

To kick things off, Jonathan and Jeremy touch on how stocks are rising across homebuilding companies, plus more and more loan buybacks from Freddie Mac.

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If home ownership is still a key to wealth generation, how can more Americans get their piece of the pie? Marisa Calderon, the President & CEO of Prosperity Now, joins Jonathan and Jeremy to talk about new approaches to building prosperity, including fractional home ownership and other “on ramps to wealth” through collaborative ownership of different kinds of assets. From co-ownership platform Nestment to Atlanta-based real estate investment fund Roots, these three discuss the startup landscape, including Marisa’s new Prosperity Next, an initiative for CDFIs to bridge the gap between lending and the capital markets, while enhancing financial inclusion for underserved communities.  

Prior to her role as President and CEO of Prosperity Now, Calderon served as the Executive Director of the NCRC Community Development Fund and in leadership roles at NAHREP, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

Email [email protected] with any questions or comments and Subscribe to Housing Insiders on your favorite podcast platform