Only 17% of Voters Say It’s a Good Time To Buy a Home—Federal Policies May Be Making It Worse

Less than 1 in 5 voters think now is a good time to buy a new home, setting the stage for housing to be a major issue in this year's election cycle, a new poll shows.

The poll by the National Association of Realtors®, revealed on its "Advocacy Scoop" podcast, shows that the majority of Americans still believe that homeownership is "essential to the American dream."

But, just 17% of the 800 people polled believe that now is a good time to buy a home. More than half—52%—say housing is a very important issue.

Voters said housing costs and housing supply are issues they factor in when deciding how to vote for Congress.

"Depressing but not surprising," Shannon McGahn, chief advocacy officer for NAR, said at the organization's advocacy week in DC last month. "Affordability is the buzzword of 2026 on both sides of the aisle, both sides of the Capitol, coming from the White House, and this is why."

Realtor.com® economists estimated last year that the nation had a shortfall of about 4 million homes. The housing shortage would take the better part of a decade to fix, even with rosy projections. Economists are looking for solutions everywhere from Freedom Cities to fees to Fonzie.

NAR's study pins blame on federal policies. Half of voters said those policies make buying harder, versus 9% saying the federal government makes it easier. High mortgage rates, wage growth, economic uncertainty, and inflation are some of the reasons those voters blame.

Kitchen table consequences

The NAR data hints that voters are tired of partisanship and want housing solutions. Almost two-thirds of voters said new housing proposals—Democratic, Republican or Independent—would make it easier to buy or sell a home.

Strong majorities supported policies for tax-free savings for down payments, loosening capital gains taxes, and incentives that ease first-time homebuyers' entry into the market.

"The American people still believe in homeownership, they just need to have the government meet them halfway," McGahn said. "And they need to see there are these proposals out there and these policies that make it work."

Officials and housing advocates raised alarms last year when NAR released information showing that the average age of first-time homebuyers hit 40. And they made up just 21% of the market in 2025.

NAR touted a major financial cost for the shortage: Buying a home at 40 instead of 30 means losing out on $150,000 in equity on a typical starter home based on how the property's value appreciates in that decade.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates the shortage of affordable housing costs the American economy about $2 trillion a year in lower wages and productivity.

Voter sentiment reaches Washington

Even those who already own a home feel stuck, and almost half said a major barrier stops them from moving, NAR data shows. About 35% say they can't afford to give up a low mortgage rate, while 16% can't afford the capital gains taxes. There are no affordable options nearby, an additional 30% said.

Renters, meanwhile, feel locked out, with 76% thinking they won't ever afford a home, and 59% saying there aren't enough affordable homes in their communities.

NAR is lobbying for several major law changes it says would help the housing shortage, in particular changes to capital gains tax. The data shows voters support solutions, it said. Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research helped NAR collect the data.

Both Democrats and Republicans have proposed solutions to housing affordability, aiming at deregulation at the federal and state level.

President Donald Trump floated several ideas including depreciation credits and limits on investor activity. But he says he wants policies that make it easier to buy a home without reducing home values.

"People that own their homes, we're going to keep them wealthy," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting Thursday. "We're going to keep those prices up, we're not going to destroy the value of their homes, so that someone who didn't work very hard can buy a home. We're going to make it easier to buy."