On this “Value Meal” episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy take a bite out of all the latest housing headlines. On the menu: the latest Bilt funding round and how it skyrocketed the platform’s valuation, what the proposed ADU bill on Capitol Hill could mean for homeowners & real estate professionals, the latest tweetstorm from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, whether VantageScore will actually work in the housing industry, and the outlook for crypto in housing.

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

Kenon Chen, Clear Capital’s EVP of Strategy and Growth, joins the show for a round-robin discussion of the housing headlines, including FHFA Director Bill Pulte’s surprise announcement that Fannie and Freddie would now accept VantageScore for mortgage underwriting. It’s a big swing for the fences, but will it help more people qualify to be homeowners? Jonathan remains dubious, stating, “We won’t see any big swings be successful until we break the monopoly of the Fannie and Freddie world.” The trio discuss other ways the status quo is being disrupted, including Clear Capital’s use of AI for appraisals - and appraisal waivers - to make the home-closing process cheaper and faster.

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

This episode is brought to you by Saul Ewing.

Consumer financial services companies face a constant onslaught of litigation and risk arising from a multitude of federal and state consumer protection laws. They also contend with enforcement actions from federal and state regulators and agencies. Navigating these obstacles while managing legal costs in today’s crowded and shifting market presents unique challenges for these institutions. Attorneys in Saul Ewing's Consumer Financial Services Litigation Practice are sensitive to these challenges  and provide their clients with practical, industry-specific advice and counsel. To learn more, go to Saul.com/Capabilities

Saul Ewing Partners Trip Riley & Jason McElroy are the perfect guests to shed light on the current regulatory ambiguity in the housing and mortgage market. Their expertise spans mortgage origination and servicing, regulatory counseling, compliance auditing, and litigation defense. On this episode, Riley and McElroy emphasize the challenges posed by the federal government stepping back, with states filling the void and creating a patchwork of rules that may complicate compliance for national lenders and servicers. Tune in for a nuanced look at the complex, shifting terrain of mortgage regulation, with practical advice for industry participants: focus on compliance with current rules, engage proactively with state regulators, and advocate for clear, consistent federal standards. 

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

This episode is brought to you by Saul Ewing.

Consumer financial services companies face a constant onslaught of litigation and risk arising from a multitude of federal and state consumer protection laws. They also contend with enforcement actions from federal and state regulators and agencies. Navigating these obstacles while managing legal costs in today’s crowded and shifting market presents unique challenges for these institutions. Attorneys in Saul Ewing's Consumer Financial Services Litigation Practice are sensitive to these challenges  and provide their clients with practical, industry-specific advice and counsel. To learn more, go to Saul.com/Capabilities

Former Rocket Mortgage CEO Bob Walters spent 28 years transforming the company from a small regional brokerage into the country’s largest mortgage lender. Walters joins Housing Insiders to share what he learned along the way from Rocket Founder Dan Gilbert and how their work simplifying and democratizing complex lending processes made Rocket a leader in digital mortgage solutions. On this episode, Walters talks about the next frontier in digital lending, sharing why he believes the mortgage industry is an ideal candidate for AI disruption, and warning that companies not using it “at scale and deeply” will be “smoked by those who do.”

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

Up for Growth is a national, cross-sector member network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis through data-driven research and evidence-based policy.  Founder & CEO Mike Kingsella joins Housing Insiders to talk why some cities grow and others struggle, whether the NIMBYs or YIMBYs have it right, and what he wants Congress to do to solve the housing shortage.

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

Further reading:

Missed Opportunities: Assessing and Leveraging Requirements, Incentives & Tradeoffs in Affordable Housing Development

Ivan Rupnik is Associate Professor of Architecture at Northeastern University and Founding Partner of MOD X, a research-based advisory he started along with Ryan E. Smith and Tyler Schmetterer that supports the global offsite construction industry. He joins Housing Insiders to talk about building codes: how they work (and in the case of the US, could work a lot better), and how a nationalized approach could make factory-built housing more scalable and affordable. The US holds the dubious distinction of having some of the most fragmented building codes in the world. Fifty years ago, HUD Secretary George Romney launched Operation Breakthrough, recognizing that America's fragmented building codes were strangling housing innovation and affordability. Despite proving the massive costs of regulatory complexity, Romney's vision was shelved – while other countries adopted his blueprint and revolutionized their own housing industries. Ivan talks about what countries like Sweden and Japan are doing to build housing quickly and affordably, offering a roadmap forward that’s been hiding in plain sight.

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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.

Further reading:

How an American Dream of Housing Became a Reality in Sweden

Modularization Precedes Digitalization in Offsite Housing Delivery

A YIMBY Theory of Power

Bob Pinnegar is the President and CEO of the National Apartment Association (NAA), a trade association representing 95,000 members with over 12 million rental units nationwide. Bob joins Housing Insiders to talk about the state of multifamily housing and the complicated factors - from interest rates to tariffs - making the future of the rental market harder to predict than usual. Bob unpacks the challenges of balancing national trends with local market realities, the evolving rental landscape, and the critical need for 4.3 million new rental units by 2035. While those finding office-to-rental conversions may be “a needle in a haystack,” Bob talks about other innovations that will appeal to both multifamily owners and Gen Z renters.

Whether you’re a housing professional or simply care about the future of where we live, Housing Insiders delivers the smart, candid conversations you won’t hear anywhere else - plus practical ideas for shaping a more accessible, resilient housing ecosystem. Don’t miss this episode, and subscribe for more expert insights and actionable solutions.

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

Drumroll, please! Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer Jenna Louie of Ivory Innovations joins Housing Insiders to announce the Top 10 finalists for its prestigious Ivory Prize, a national award designed to recognize and support innovative and scalable solutions addressing the housing affordability crisis. Competing across the categories of Construction & Design, Finance, and Policy & Regulatory Reform, the 10 finalists will ultimately be whittled down to 3 winners, who will share a $300,000 prize, and gain access to pro bono research and a robust network of industry experts.

Jenna walks us through who these finalists are, including one organization using hempcrete to build homes on the Lower Sioux Indian Community reservation in Milton, Minnesota:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A15X3-FFEXw

Three winners will be announced at the end of May, and we’ll keep you posted. 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

In this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy are joined by Mike Yu to talk the past, present, and future of technology in mortgage lending - and the huge role AI will play in mortgage digitization. Mike is the Co-Founder & CEO of Vesta, a provider of next generation mortgage loan origination software, allowing financial institutions to improve their lending processes with customizable workflows and intuitive, easy-to-use experiences.

Hear how the mortgage industry is using tech to get up to speed, how Vesta’s LOS works, the tension among providers in the mortgage industry, the impressive use cases for AI in the mortgage world, and what to do if you were starting a mortgage shop today.

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

In this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy are joined by Jim Parrott to talk about the latest shakeups at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including the removal of 14 board members and the firing of the CEO of Freddie Mac. With Bill Pulte as the new, self-appointed chairman of the board of both organizations, speculation is rampant about the extent of the further “DOGE treatment” the agencies will face. Parrott, co-founder of Parrott Ryan Advisors and a nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute, believes the moves indicate privatizing the GSEs is off the table in the near term. “If you're having to go out and raise private capital to pull the GSEs out, there's nobody that's going to invest a dollar in institutions that have the regulator as the chair of their board,” Parrott tells Jonathan & Jeremy. What does this all mean for mortgage rates and housing supply? Well, give it a listen.

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