What housing plans do US presidential candidates Trump and Harris offer?
Al Jazeera
Since 2020, average US home prices are up 50 percent while wages have risen just 23 percent, putting home purchases out of reach for many.
One of the first remarks United States Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris made in last week’s presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia was about housing.
“We know that we have a shortage of homes and housing. And the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people,” Harris said.
That focus should not come as a surprise, seeing it is the second most common economic concern for American families in the lead-up to the presidential elections, only trailing inflation, according to a recent Gallup poll.
A key part of Harris’s plan to ease that burden is a $25,000 down payment assistance for 4 million first-time homebuyers over the course of four years. As long as prospective homebuyers paid their rent on time for the previous two years, they would qualify for the programme.
When Harris first announced the plan, pundits like business icon Kevin O’Leary said it would cause inflation.
