What's with the uptick in homebuilder incentives?
Marketplace
Marketplace
4.6 • 8.6K Ratings
🗓️ 19 June 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As high interest rates tamp down homebuying demand, more homebuilders are offering free appliances or upgraded hardware to sweeten the deal. Throwing in a free dishwasher is one thing, but how are they able to offer lower mortgage interest rates? In this episode, we check on the homebuilding sector. Plus: Hotel housekeepers say AI-driven app makes work more difficult, scientists design sunshades built for space, and a “talking book” nonprofit brings news and books to blind people.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Programming supported by Trinity Exteriors, a local team working to help neighbors across Minnesota maintain safe, comfortable homes, offering roofing, siding, and window renovations. |
| 0:10.1 | Information and more at trinityexteriors.com. |
| 0:15.2 | The economy is changing at a dizzying rate. |
| 0:18.8 | Entered the chart topping and critically acclaimed managing the |
| 0:22.1 | Future of Work Podcasts from Harvard Business School, hosted by me, Bill Kerr, and by managing |
| 0:27.9 | the Future of Work Project co-chair Joe Fuller. The show explores workforce development, |
| 0:33.6 | technology trends, demographic changes, and many other forces transforming the landscape of work. |
| 0:40.0 | Follow the HBS Managing the Future of Work podcast wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:47.8 | On the show today, signals or not from the new Fed Chair, the economy post-Iran deal, and an out-there idea to cool the planet from space. |
| 1:00.3 | From American public media, this is Marketplace. |
| 1:08.8 | In Denver, I'm Amy Scott in for Kai Risdahl. |
| 1:16.7 | It's Friday, June 19th. |
| 1:18.6 | Happy Juneteenth. |
| 1:20.1 | It was a big week for the Federal Reserve. |
| 1:22.6 | Kevin Warsh's first interest rate meeting as chair, followed by his first press conference, at which he set a decidedly different tone with me to talk about what we might expect from the new Fed chair and the rest of the week's economic news are Stacey Vanek-Smith with Bloomberg and Jordan Holman at the New York Times. Thanks for joining us. |
| 1:43.9 | Thanks, Amy. Thanks, |
| 1:45.6 | Amy. All right, Stacey, let's start with you. What did you make of that first press |
| 1:50.1 | conference? Anything stand out to you? Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, everyone was watching this press |
| 1:56.0 | conference to see what Warsh was going to say. If he was going to deliver on what Trump really wants him to deliver on, which is lowering |
| 2:04.0 | interest rates. |
| 2:05.6 | And I think the answer is a definitive no. |
| 2:07.8 | I think Warsh kind of came out as a hawk in this first press conference. |
... |
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