Selling DC/VA/MD real estate for 25+ yrs | 1000+ homes sold | $500M+ sales volume | 485K miles driven & many tires replaced | Q: What is "work-life balance"?
Washington, D.C.
Joined November 2010
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WSJ (unlocked): Why is new housing so expensive in America?
Tariffs, rising material costs, labor shortages, higher financing expenses, and burdensome government regulations are all contributing. UBS Global Research estimates tariffs alone add approximately $8,200 to the cost of an average new home.
What does this mean for homeowners?
As construction costs rise, existing homes become more expensive to replace, helping support resale values even amid elevated mortgage rates.
The bottom line: Housing affordability won't improve substantially until we make building new homes easier and less expensive.
wsj.com/economy/housing/just…
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AEI: Smaller lot sizes = more homes.
About 90% of municipalities impose minimum lot sizes on zoned lots. This helps explain why starter homes are so scarce.
Of the roughly 4.6 million homes built from 2015 through 2024 in new subdivisions they looked at, only about 750,000, or 16%, were starter homes.
aei.org/research-products/re…
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NYT: In 2025, HOA fees were up by 25% from 2019.
Metros with the wealthiest residents often have the highest HOA costs.
Housing type matters: Condo associations often charge significantly more than associations that govern single family homes in subdivisions.
New construction is also more likely to come with fees.
nytimes.com/2026/11/05/reale…
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WSJ (unlocked): AI build-out and other growth are spurring battles across the U.S. over the construction of planned transmission lines on residential properties
Virginia’s Loudoun County, just outside Washington, D.C., tracked 233 data-center buildings completed or in some stage of the construction process as of March. Loudoun is the epicenter of a battle over the need for electric-grid upgrades driven largely by rising electricity demand for new data centers.
wsj.com/us-news/homeowners-f…
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Washingtonian magazine: The 2026 Residential Design Award Winners in an annual judging by the DC chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
washingtonian.com/2026/11/04…
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NYT: Another potential hit to renovation budgets: California is weighing a ban on engineered quartz countertops over the deadly silica dust produced during fabrication. Quartz has been a workhorse for builders, flippers, and homeowners: durable, low-maintenance, consistent, and considerably cheaper than many natural stones.
If the ban proceeds, demand could shift toward granite, marble, porcelain, and newer low-silica alternatives—pushing up material, fabrication, and installation costs for new construction. Large developers may feel the squeeze first, but kitchen remodels and resale preparations won't be immune. And because California often sets national product standards, the ripple effects could extend well beyond its borders.
nytimes.com/2026/10/29/reale…
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WSJ (unlocked): A heat pump that fits in your window? It could transform heating and cooling in older buildings—without ductwork or major renovations.
The catch? Units cost around $3,100, weigh 150 pounds, and can be difficult to install.
Still, a promising alternative for older homes and apartments.
wsj.com/business/energy-oil/…
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D.C. keeps making housing more expensive—and then subsidizing the result. The D.C. Policy Center documents 106 obstacles affecting housing development and operations. Permitting delays alone add roughly $4,400 per unit, per month.
dcpolicycenter.org/publicati…
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Capital Commonsense: Why WMATA Still Stands to Benefit From Better Metro Faregates.
Even after a systemwide faregate replacement and a major systemwide retrofit, WMATA fare evasion in 2026 is above every single month of the year prior.
Union Station leads Metro fare evasion in 2026, averaging 1,183 untapped entries per weekday—nearly six times the station average—followed by Gallery Place, Metro Center, Foggy Bottom, Reagan National Airport, and L’Enfant Plaza.
open.substack.com/pub/capita…
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ResiClub: America’s housing market is now four years into a mortgage recession—and conditions are deteriorating further.
Thirty-year mortgage rates have climbed from 5.99% in February to approximately 7.35%, depressing both home purchases and refinancing. Mortgage purchase applications are approaching their fall 2023 lows, despite rates remaining below that period’s peak.
With existing-home sales already at historically depressed levels, the outlook for resale activity through year-end remains bleak.
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WSJ (unlocked): Interest rates are, simply, low. For now, and for the foreseeable future, rates at today’s level or higher should be considered normal.
This will disappoint borrowers hoping for a big drop in rates once inflation and oil recede. The good news is that a higher normal for rates points to a higher normal for economic growth, too.
wsj.com/economy/central-bank…
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Morgan Knull retweeted
I’m sorry, no. Under this proposal, D.C. taxpayers would cover thousands of $$$ in unpaid rent while landlords would be forced to forgive a third of someone’s debt—because going to court is “stressful”? Life is stressful. You still have to pay your bills.
