Doug Bauer, chief executive of publicly traded homebuilder Tri Pointe Homes, expects “a pretty robust spring selling season” after what feels like two years of depressed existing home sales—and, more recently, hesitation among buyers and sellers amid mortgage rate volatility before the presidential election.
In an interview with CNBC yesterday, Bauer explained that the demand for homes is there. Everyone wants a place to live, after all; the issue is supply. The incoming administration could mean good things for the housing world, in his mind: from corporate taxes, to regulation, to mass deportation. Still, a lot of what hampers building comes from land-use control at the state and local level, particularly in high cost-of-living states such as California.
