Presidential candidates need to ensure the American housing market starts
to recover, the National Association of Home Builders says.
Presidential candidates - whether President Barack Obama or any
of the Republican hopefuls - need to work to ensure the American housing market
starts to recover, the NAHB says.
"There can be no economic recovery without a housing
recovery, yet the silence on housing was deafening during the (Oct. 18) debate,”
said National Association of Home Builders Chairman Bob Nielsen, a builder from
Reno, Nev. "It is particularly ironic that with the debate setting in Las
Vegas, the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis, the candidates chose to duck
this topic and other critical housing issues."
Nielsen said the president also needs to work harder to
fix the housing crisis.
"President Obama needs to take an affirmative
position on home ownership as well," he said. "The failure of the Administration
to put forth pro-housing policies is impeding the economic recovery and hurting
job growth and consumer confidence."
Proposals such as mandating 20 percent down payments on
all mortgages and eliminating government-backed organizations such as Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac would only prolong the problems, NAHB officials added.
"Instead of arguing who was to blame for the
downturn, all the 2012 presidential hopefuls need to be addressing these housing
issues head-on," said Nielsen. "Housing and home ownership are
critical to a strong and prosperous nation. If any of these anti-housing
policies are codified, it could fundamentally alter the ability of the nation
to sustain a middle class that has contributed to a century of economic
progress."
