A major policy shift out of Washington could have meaningful implications for housing supply and affordability.

I'm Kathy Fedke, and this is Real Estate News for investors.

This is Real Estate News with Kathy Fedke.

President Trump has signed two new executive orders aimed at improving housing affordability and speeding up home construction.

The orders signed late Friday direct federal agencies to simplify regulations,

review ways to expand access to mortgage credit, and remove barriers that slow down home building.

The first executive order focuses on one of the biggest problems in housing today.

That's how long it takes and how expensive it is to build new homes.

Instead of directly building housing, the order directs federal agencies to review the rules that may be slowing down development.

That includes environmental

reviews, permitting processes, and federal requirements tied to energy efficiency and construction

standards. In many cases, these rules can add months or even years to a project timeline. They can

also increase costs through added studies, compliance steps, and design requirements.

Builders often pass those costs onto buyers, of course, which pushes home prices even higher.

The order calls on agencies to identify regulations that are outdated, redundant, or unnecessarily

burdensome, and to recommend changes that could streamline the process

without removing important protections.

It also encourages better coordination between agencies.

Right now, developers often have to navigate multiple layers of approval across different federal departments,

creating delays even for projects that are ready to move

forward. The goal is to make development faster, more predictable, and less expensive. If implemented,

that could lead to more housing starts and over time, more supply entering the market.

...