The Fight for Housing Affordability
Growth amid uncertainty propels industry forward
NAHB
Housing affordability continues to be a challenge in every corner of the country. A lack of housing supply is a key component to this challenge, but policy mandates exacerbate the issue by making it more expensive and more time-consuming to build homes.
NAHB CEO Jim Tobin recently appeared on the Builder Straight Talk podcast to highlight the hurdles builders face in the current market, and how the Federation is working at the local, state and national levels to address them.
“Homeownership is the gateway to the middle class in this country, and we are pushing homeownership farther and farther away from the next generation,” Tobin shared with podcast host Michael Krisa. “The more we do that, the harder it is for them to build equity, build real wealth in this country. The housing crisis has catastrophic downstream effects that we have not felt yet for the next generations behind us.”
Hurdles include:
Energy Code Mandates
Mandates from the Department ofHousing and Urban Development (HUD)and Department of Agriculture (USDA)for new homes financed through certainfederal programs comply with the 2021International Energy Conservation Code(IECC) add tens of thousands of dollarsto the cost of a new home.
If the focus is truly on energy efficiency, Tobin suggested, policymakers should be turning their attention to the 130 million homes — roughly 90% of the nation’s housing stock — that were built before 2010 and less efficient that the homes being built today.
Local Impact Fees and Other Upfront Taxes:
Rather than raise property taxes, which affects current home owners, local governments often turn to impact fees and permitting costs to generate revenue, which raises the costs of new homes and puts them out of reach for.
EPAB President's Message
2025- A Mixed Bag
El Paso Home builders carry on despite challenges
Victor Robles - EPAB President
As we approach the end of another year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been both a rewarding and challenging time for our industry here in El Paso. First, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all our members, partners, and community leaders who continue to show incredible dedication to building quality homes and strengthening our city. Your hard work, collaboration, and resilience are what make the El Paso Association of Home Builders such a strong and respected organization.
This year has brought both growth and uncertainty. One of the biggest concerns we are seeing right now is the impact of the federal government furlough. As many of us know, El Paso’s economy is deeply connected to government employment, whether through Fort Bliss, border operations, or civilian agencies. The temporary halt in pay for thousands of local workers creates a ripple effect across our community, from delayed home purchases to slower consumer spending.
For our builders and real estate partners, this means some of our potential buyers are pausing their decisions or facing delays in mortgage approvals and closings. Lenders are tightening timelines, and customers are understandably more cautious with their finances. It is a reminder of how interconnected our local economy is and how quickly national events can impact our region.
Despite these challenges, there is a great deal to be optimistic about. El Paso continues to experience steady growth, and our builders remain committed to innovation, quality, and affordability. We have seen encouraging momentum in local housing starts and a continued demand for new homes as families choose to put down roots in our community.
As we close out the year, I want to thank each of you for your contributions, not only to the Association, but to the families we serve. Whether you are a builder, supplier, trade partner, or associate member, your commitment to excellence and professionalism keeps our industry strong.
Let us continue to support one another, stay informed, and advocate for policies that protect and promote housing in our region. Together, we will navigate these challenges and look forward to an even stronger 2026.
Thank you again for making this year one of progress, teamwork, and resilience.
Executive Message
Are you ready for 80?
By Ray Adauto - Executive Vice President, EPAB
As we get ready for the 79th installation of new leadership and the board we are reminded that we are entering our eightieth anniversary in 2026. Eighty years is a big deal, no matter whether its years are alive, or the age of your car, or the age o your organization. For the association it marks how many years ago we were born. 1946 had just begun to welcome war veterans and wartime workers back into civilian life and jobs, with families needing housing. El Paso and surrounding communities had played a key role in the war effort, and those workers were ready to buy a house. So celebrating our anniversary of our eightieth birthday will be a big deal if for no other reason than being relevant for all these years. Our members are why we continue to be a voice of housing and business in El Paso.
The federal government shutdown is having an impact and none of it good. We are a divided and fractionalized country right now, worse than during civil rights or Vietnam war years. Having the shutdown now jeopardizes a very razor thin calm, but I fear there is a short fuse that media and the internet are participating in that changes the playing field. I believe in your citizenship rights and the rules of laws. Some intelligent people are suddenly stupid. Case in point is how New Yorkers seem destined to select a communist for mayor. I suppose that his talks of free this and that sound appealing to those who have little or nothing, but I also think that if he’s elected the warnings from the past will come true. The United States is a mishmash of cultures because we assimilated into being American, today legal, and undocumented immigrants want to be in America without being American. That’s not how this Republic works. Yet even elected officials seem to not recall those principles we built this country on. The silence, I fear, will erupt one day. It will not be pretty. We can take that first step to curtail this fear by demanding our government return to work, pay the workers and help those in need. It’s time
Why Builders Overpay for Land
And How to Protect the Margins
NAHB
Land is the single largest cost driver in any home building project. But even experienced acquisition teams sometimes overpay. This often comes down to a lack of context and outdated data.
1.Lagging and Limited Transaction Data
Relying on public records to track land sales comes with inherent risks: lagging or incomplete data, inconsistent reporting across jurisdictions, and blind spots in partial or non-disclosure states.
Without access to comprehensive and accurate comparables, teams risk building models on outdated assumptions. This leaves room for inflated valuations and thinner margins.
2.Hidden Builder and Investor Activity
Knowing who’s buying nearby and why is one of the most strategic advantages in land acquisition.
Too often, that visibility is missing. Builder and investor activity is frequently hidden behind shell entities and LLCs, making it difficult to connect individual parcels to real market behavior. Without that clarity, acquisition teams risk misreading local momentum, entering oversaturated markets, or missing the early signals of builder expansion that drive future pricing.
3. Finding the Right Parcels from the Start
Overpaying often begins when teams spend too long evaluating parcels that don’t fit their criteria. Every round of misaligned due diligence delays capital deployment and reduces leverage.
By the time the right opportunity surfaces, competitors may already be active, driving up prices and shrinking inventory. Inefficient parcel discovery doesn’t just waste time; it forces teams to enter markets late, where urgency and scarcity push land costs higher.
How Diverse Is the Construction Workforce?
NAHB
Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages.
According to the 2023 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic White workers still account for the majority of the construction industry at 57%. Hispanic workers now represent nearly one-third of the labor force at 32%, followed by non-Hispanic Black workers at 5% and non-Hispanic Asian workers at 1.8%.
The most notable trend in construction labor force has been the steady rise of Hispanic participation. Between 2010 and 2023, the number of Hispanic workers in construction increased from 2.5 million to almost 3.8 million. Over the same period, their share of the labor force climbed from
23.6% to 32%, meaning that nearly one in three construction workers today is Hispanic.
Hispanic workers comprise a larger share in the construction than the broader economy, making up 31.9% of the construction labor force compared with 19.2 % across all industries. Non-Hispanic White workers account for 57.5% of the construction labor force, about the same as their share across all industries at 58.3%. Black and Asian workers, by contrast, remain underrepresented in construction.
See a state-by-state breakdown of Hispanic workers in construction in this Eye on Housing post from NAHB Principal