‘It’s H for Housing’: How Texas Democrats Plan To Build on GOP Homebuilding Momentum

Texas enacted some of its most consequential housing supply reforms in years under Republican leadership, but Tuesday's historic Democratic sweep in the Lone Star State has suddenly opened the door to changes advocates thought were politically impossible.“The boundaries shifted entirely for the possibilities for low-income households and Texans seeking affordability,” Texas Housers, a nonprofit housing advocacy organization, tells Realtor.com®. "What was realistic 24 hours ago is dramatically different from what is realistic today.”Among those possibilities are greater state investment in affordable housing, stronger renter protections, and more funding to rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters—priorities the organization hopes the incoming administration will advance.But the state's homebuilding industry is looking to build on an agenda it has spent years advancing with officials from both parties."It's neither D nor R. It's H for housing," Scott Norman, CEO of the Texas Association of Builders, tells Realtor.com.After an election shaped by pocketbook concerns, Texas' new guard will doubtless be judged on whether it can solve for Norman's 'H'—turning the momentum of the nation...