Zonda’s chief economist never thought Trump, the only real estate mogul-turned-president, would place tariffs on building materials when housing is already so unaffordable. She was wrong


- The world of housing is in another dull Spring sale season with customs tariff fears and more construction on potential homes and buyers. The wealthy are the only silver lining in the housing market – and even this may change.
Zonda Ali Wolf’s chief economy in Optimism about one thing in particular when President Donald Trump was elected: He understood real estate. So when House builders I asked about it about the customs tariff in January, I told them that she could not imagine that the head of the real estate cunning will put taxes on Building materials When housing cannot be tolerated for many Americans, something is I promised To fix the campaign path. Then, in March, Trump did so exactlyPlace the definitions on imported steel and aluminum. Definitions on Imported wood It can come in April.
“I was wrong,” said Wolf luck.
Within months, Wolf moved from somewhat hope in the housing market when it comes to builders, buyers and sales, to a dark. You still think the housing world is fine. The fire will not explode. But she has her fears. The whispering policy that was often arrested is responsible.
Zonda polls routinely ask builders what hinders buyers. In March, the builders of the ability to bear the costs, which was the highest answer for a period of time because home prices have increased by 45 % in the past five years and Mortgage rates She is far away from its lowest friendly levels. The following answer: potential buyers sit on the margin because there is no impulsion to buy. However, the third answer is that the wolf has not seen it for a long time: consumers are concerned about the economy, jobs and visa.
Wolf said of uncertainty: “It is for them to fall.”
Earlier this month, the S&P 500 slipped into a correction area on the back of the definitions that occur abroad, and there are collective hairdos that occur in the federal government, so the feelings of the consumer drop as a result of. In housing, it is a policy of customs tariffs and immigration that keeps people on their toes.
“We are very concerned about the customs tariff,” Wolf said, because they can stimulate higher costs and do so in the past.
Definitions It is a tax on imported goods, so builders see an additional cost on the products they tend to buy from other countries. If they convert their supply chains to buy locally, it will also cost them, because the goods produced in the United States are not cheap. In any scenario, the expectations are that the builders will pass the additional costs of buyers. To date, the Trump administration has threatened, planned or developed Definitions On wood, aluminum and steel – all of this is used in building houses. More than half of the builders in the latest poll said the total cost to build a house higher than last year. However, there is a fear that the pain of customs tariffs may not be completely physical until next year, and perhaps in the worsening economy, Wolf said.
When it comes to immigration, builders have not seen a significant change in the workforce in the field of construction at this stage, despite the mass deportation promises conducted by the Trump administration. However, it is nervous and monitors the situation. However, it goes beyond labor. She noted that anyone worried about the migration situation either now or in the next four years will consider twice to buy a house. In a recent profit call, $ 30 billion for home Soft Mention the confidence of the consumer slidAnd that he was watching any tariffs or deportations that may have in the final result.
All the things that were taken into account, the housing market appears to have been appointed for another pale spring sale season.
The only silver lining is the wealthy, and even may change. Sophisticated buyers who could buy homes did not feel the same pain as high mortgage rates. Build a luxurious house Brotherhood Recently mentioned in a profit call of more than 70 % of her business rich Empty movements and nests with years of appreciation of home prices, and the rest of the rich millennium generation.
But they can retreat due to every state of uncertainty and feel upset. “They have money,” said Wolf. “Their money has not disappeared. Their home is still worth a lot. Their shares are still worth a lot. But what has changed is just their morale in the market.”
The housing market was in the postpartum stage to stopWolf explained that in an ideal world, low mortgage rates, the stock market can be predicted, and the confident consumers will reconcile it.
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
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2025-03-27 11:07:00