"While Iowa's success should be celebrated, much of the rest of the country is struggling to keep pace. Hoping to spur on action, President Donald Trump recently put pressure on large homebuilders to increase construction nationwide. In a post on his Truth Social platform in early October, he accused major builders of hoarding lots to prop up prices - likening them to OPEC, which restricts oil output to maintain high prices."
"In a post on his Truth Social platform in early October, he accused major builders of hoarding lots to prop up prices - likening them to OPEC, which restricts oil output to maintain high prices. "They're my friends ... but now, they can get Financing, and they have to start building Homes. They're sitting on 2 Million empty lots, A RECORD," Trump wrote. He urged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to intervene and "get Big Homebuilders going" in order to "restore the American Dream.""
Iowa earned an A- and scored 71.6 overall on Realtor.com’s State-by-State Housing Report Card, reflecting strong affordability and new construction performance. The 2024 median listing price was $294,600, below the national average, while median household income was $73,122. The Realtor Affordability Score was 0.92, indicating many families can still find homes within reach. Iowa accounted for 0.8% of new home permits in 2024, roughly matching its population share and producing a healthy permit-to-population ratio. The new construction premium—the price gap between new and existing homes—was 58.4%, higher than many neighboring states. Nationally, major builders face criticism for hoarding lots and calls for intervention.
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