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The Right IdeaThe Right Idea: The Texas Public Policy Foundation's weekly look at the people, policy, and politics that drive Texas.. Author: Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Right Idea: The Texas Public Policy Foundation's weekly look at the people, policy, and politics that drive Texas. Language: en Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Housing Crisis Explained: Why Homes Are Unaffordable in 2025 & Real Solutions with Sean Dobson
Episode 104
Thursday, 4 December, 2025
Why is buying a home harder than ever in 2025 — even worse than 2007? Sean Dobson, Chairman & CEO of Amherst (one of America’s largest real estate investment firms), joins The Right Idea to break down the real drivers of the housing affordability crisis and what can actually fix it. We dive deep into labor costs, local regulations, property taxes, garages nobody uses, the future of renting vs. owning, immigration’s impact on construction, and why gimmicks like 50-year mortgages or rent control won’t solve anything. If you want to understand why young families can’t buy homes anymore — and what policymakers should actually do — this is the episode. 01:14 – Hot Take: Why the Epstein file release won’t end the conspiracies03:06 – Today’s guest: Sean Dobson (CEO of Amherst)04:12 – What actually goes into the cost of building a house? (2/3 labor!)05:58 – Modular homes, factory construction, and why it’s still only single-digit savings09:15 – Can the average person even build their own house today?10:34 – How local regulations silently drive up costs11:26 – The $55,000 garage nobody parks in14:29 – California’s ADU precedent & state vs. city power17:20 – 2025 affordability worse than 2007? Here’s why22:11 – Why politicians keep floating 50-year mortgages & subprime 2.024:19 – What does “affordable” even mean? (The 1/3 income rule)26:07 – Texas property taxes: 40%+ of your housing cost?!30:37 – Renting is not failure: Why the “American Dream” narrative is outdated33:31 – The real labor crisis in construction (and immigration’s role)39:53 – Rent control: Why it always backfires42:26 – Sean’s magic wand fix: Restore credit access & rename the “subprime” crisis
