Minnesota zoning reform push for starter homes falters

A third go at trying to reboot starter-home construction in Minnesota is on life support at the state Legislature, with supporters scrambling to revive it before the session ends. High-profile zoning reform bills failed in a House committee and missed key Senate deadlines late last month, potentially dooming the effort as had happened over the […]

What if the housing shortage era is ending for some metros?

The Changing Landscape “This is not a forecast. A forecast is a prediction, the validity of which my ego and I are professionally responsible for. What I offer here is speculation – something that is likely enough to write about but not so likely that my ego hangs in the balance.” – George Friedman “When […]

Pritzker’s honor: Illinois housing reform fight intensifies

The fight over Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sweeping housing reform agenda is intensifying as both sides harden their positions. Supporters and detractors by the thousands delivered their opening arguments Thursday at the first major hearing on Pritzker’s six-bill package. Pritzker’s BUILD plan seeks to lower costs by making construction easier and faster statewide. It would […]

Meritage Q1 2026 shows why incentives are the new battlefield

Meritage Q1 2026 shows why incentives are the new battlefield
The mid-spring earnings cycle has produced a common-language reality check for America’s public homebuilders: the operating backdrop worsened faster than many management teams expected. In such a context of nearly-universal challenge, doing less-worse may count as a win. Meritage Homes’ Q1 2026 numbers serve as a case in point Orders fell 5% year over year, […]

California court curbs Coastal Commission on building permits

A California home builder sought to build three additional houses on lots it had owned for more than two decades in a coastal county. That should have been easy. It had already built four nearby homes. But it wasn’t. Years of court hearings followed when a state agency overrode San Luis Obispo County’s authority and […]

Taylor Morrison pares incentives and leans into buyer choice

Tactical discounts, escalating incentives, absorption-at-any-cost strategies, … you all well know the routine of buying sales and making next to no money in Spring 2026. But that’s not for everybody. Exceptions are out there, public and private. Taylor Morrison has chosen a playbook and is well into executing a game plan that leans on the […]

Toll Brothers expands luxury footprint with Buffington acquisition

Toll Brothers expands luxury footprint with Buffington acquisition
The market reaction to homebuilder earnings this spring has carried a clear message: scale, discipline, and positioning still matter­. Where you choose to deploy them may matter even more. On Tuesday, Toll Brothers signaled its next move in that equation by announcing a deal to acquire substantially all the assets of Fayetteville-based Buffington Homes of […]