1381: The Housing Crisis | Skeptical Sunday

**The housing crisis is real, but the villain isn't the one you think. Nick Pell nails down the real culprits here on Skeptical Sunday!** Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of *The Jordan Harbinger Show* where **Jordan** and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell! **Full show notes and resources can be found here:** jordanharbinger.com/1381 **On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:** - **The villain behind the housing affordability crisis isn't BlackRock.** The scare stat that private equity owns 20% of single-family homes? The Urban Institute — a left-leaning shop — clocks it under 4%. Even grandpa renting out a condo counts as an "investor." Aim your outrage at the right enemy. - **Before a single plank of wood gets nailed, regulations bake about 24% into a new home's price — roughly $94,000 nationally, north of $150K in California.** It's effectively illegal to build a genuinely cheap house, and almost nobody is protesting that. - **Golden handcuffs froze the market: why trade a 3% mortgage for a 6% one?** Owners now sit tight a record 11 years, the listings that exist cluster between $750K and $1 million, and the starter home you could actually afford never reaches the market. - **The other culprit is your neighbor Greg, who treats vinyl siding as a war crime.** Mandated gables, brick on all four sides, half-acre lots, mature trees — pure aesthetics, zero safety — heap tens of thousands onto every build and quietly outlaw the starter home. - **The empowering truth is that scarcity is a policy choice, so it's reversible — and the decisive fights are local. Show up to the city-council meetings you've been skipping. And credit is more fixable than you'd guess — Nick raised his 120 points in a year just paying down debt.** - **Connect with Jordan** on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [jordan@jordanharbinger.com](mailto:jordan@jordanharbinger.com) and let him know! And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here **— even one sentence helps!** - **Sign up for** Six-Minute Networking **— our free networking and relationship development mini course — at** jordanharbinger.com/course**!** - **Subscribe to our once-a-week** *Wee Bit Wiser* **newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!** - **Do you even Reddit, bro?** Join us at r/JordanHarbinger**!** **This Episode Is Brought To You By** Our Fine Sponsors**:** - **SimpliSafe Home Security:** 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordan - **Quince:** Free shipping & 365-day returns: quince.com/jordan - **AG1:** Welcome kit: drinkag1.com/jordan See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.