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New Housing Reform Will Build More Houses, But There May Be A Catch

© Steven Pavlov / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Senapa

There may be a catch to a recent housing reform that could change how homes, and ultimately families, are built.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act‘s enactment could solve the housing crisis if local government officials and businesses take initiative on what it offers, real estate developer Ron Terwilliger wrote in a HousingWire op-ed Monday. However, will this act make it easier for couples to settle down and raise a family, or will it just be a blank check for developers?

Some people familiar with the housing market question whether the act will be enough to address the housing market’s ever-rising barrier to entry.

While the act has some beneficial parts like streamlining “superfluous” environmental requirements, the federal government has had “only limited success” in increasing housing supplies because “zoning authority tends to remain at the state and local levels,” Heritage Foundation economist John Gibbs told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Further, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act does not address federal policies that may contribute to higher housing demand and higher home prices, including the federal government’s extensive, multi-trillion dollar backing of the mortgage market through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA [Federal Housing Administration], VA [Veteran Affairs], and other housing finance programs,” Gibbs said. “Therefore, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act is unlikely to cause meaningful change in housing affordability.”

One of the act’s biggest advocates has been the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a trade association comprised of residential and commercial brokers, property managers, and other real estate professionals.

“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act won’t change when people choose to marry or start families, but it can help address the underlying affordability challenges that make homeownership difficult for many first-time buyers,” NAR chief advocacy officer Shannon McGahn told the DCNF.

McGahn noted that the act includes “nearly 50 bipartisan housing measures designed to increase housing supply, modernize financing, reduce barriers to construction, and expand access to homeownership.”

“More housing supply and a more efficient housing market can help improve affordability for all buyers—whether they’re single, married, or purchasing with friends or family,” McGahn said.

Door Bells v. Wedding Bells

Marriage has historically helped people enter the housing market. Around 64% of singles versus 39% of married couples struggle to afford owning a home, according to Redfin.

However, the median age at first marriage rose to around 31 for men and 29 for women.

Gibbs said that it’s “reasonable to conclude” from these two stats that many young adults’ decision to try purchasing homes alone is “making homeownership more difficult” for them as they’re missing out on tax benefits and shared living expenses.

Meanwhile, NAR deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz told the DCNF that while marriage can help first-time homebuyers, this hasn’t stopped singles from entering the housing market.

“Dual buying power of a married couple or unmarried couple does help home buyers enter into homeownership due to the rise in home prices and reduced housing affordability, however, NAR’s data shows an increasing share of young single buyers,” Lautz said. “Both Gen Z buyers and Millennial home buyers have embraced purchasing a home as a single home buyer which suggests, while marriage may be stalled, purchasing a home is not predicated on wedding bells.”

Downsizing Or Shrinkflation?

However, even if the act won’t make homeownership more difficult, the influx of singles in the housing market may motivate developers to build smaller homes.

Developers are accounting for declining marriage rates, fertility rates, and the rise of single-person households when designing new houses, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

This comes as first-time homebuyers make up only 21% of the housing market — well below the roughly 40% that developers depended on for decades, according to a NAR report published in November 2025.

Gibbs — who was Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the first Trump admin — cited “smaller homes, more one-bedroom units, elimination of underused spaces such as formal dining rooms, greater reliance on multipurpose rooms, and increased emphasis on shared amenities and outdoor spaces” as examples of this trend.

“These changes likely improve affordability and better match current consumer demand,” Gibbs said. “However, these changes may be best understood as responses to demographic change rather than causes of it.”

Gibbs noted that while some family scholars argue that housing designed around smaller households may make larger families “less practical,” others argue that the primary obstacles to marriage and childbearing are economic factors — particularly housing affordability.

The median listing price of a house was $428,950 in July, according to a Realtor.com study published Monday.