The Housing Economy with Fexingo: Home Prices, Mortgage Rates, and Real Estate Markets

Episode 32 of The Housing Economy with Fexingo explores how homebuilders are integrating electric vehicle charging infrastructure into new construction. With EV adoption accelerating and the 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 6.48%, builders are using EV-ready garages and Level 2 chargers as a competitive differentiator. Lucas and Luna discuss the cost—roughly $1,500 per home—the impact on home prices...

Homebuilders are increasingly adding residential elevators to new construction homes, especially in three-story townhomes and luxury developments. Lucas and Luna explore the data behind this trend: the number of homes with elevators has doubled in five years, driven by aging baby boomers, multi-generational living, and changing building codes. They discuss how builders like Pulte and Lennar are te...

Episode 30 of The Housing Economy. Homeowners have a new option for solar panels: buying them outright through loan programs from companies like SunPower and Sunnova, rather than leasing. Lucas and Luna break down the math on a typical $25,000 system, the 30% federal tax credit, and why this shift is changing the resale value of homes. They also touch on how rising electricity rates are driving de...

Episode 29 of The Housing Economy digs into a demographic shift that's quietly reshaping suburban construction: the aging of the baby boomer generation. As boomers move into their late 70s and early 80s, a growing share want to downsize into new homes that accommodate limited mobility, single-level living, and proximity to services. Lucas and Luna examine why production builders like Lennar and DR...

Episode 28 of The Housing Economy: Lucas and Luna explore how homebuilders are increasingly bundling smart home technology—smart locks, thermostats, video doorbells, and integrated lighting—as a standard feature rather than an upgrade. They discuss why this shift is happening now, citing rising builder competition, the desire to differentiate in a slowing market, and the relatively low cost of add...

As mortgage rates hover near 6.5% and home prices dip slightly, homebuilders are turning to new amenities to attract buyers. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of community gardens in master-planned communities. With data showing that 78% of millennial homebuyers prioritize outdoor green space, builders like Lennar and Pulte are incorporating edible landscapes and shared gardening pl...

Episode 26 of The Housing Economy with Fexingo dives into a quiet shift in new-home construction: the home office is no longer an afterthought. Lucas and Luna examine how builders like DR Horton and Lennar are now including dedicated office space as standard in over 60% of new floor plans, up from just 20% before the pandemic. They explore the data behind the trend—remote work is here to stay for...

In this episode of The Housing Economy, Lucas and Luna dive into a surprising trend among U.S. homebuilders: the return of the front porch. After two decades of shrinking outdoor spaces and garage-dominant facades, major builders like D.R. Horton and Lennar are reintroducing covered front porches as standard features in new subdivisions. We explore the data behind the shift — why a 2025 NAHB surve...

Episode 24 of The Housing Economy with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore a quiet shift in new-home construction: builders are increasingly including accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — granny flats — in suburban subdivisions. With median home prices at $403,200 and mortgage rates hovering around 6.53 percent, builders are using ADUs to offer buyers a path to rental income or multi-generational living...

Homeowners insurance premiums are rising at double-digit rates across much of the U.S., and in some states insurers are simply pulling out. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into what’s driving the spike: climate risk models that have finally caught up to reality, reinsurance costs that have doubled in three years, and state-level regulatory battles. They focus on California and Florida, where t...

In this episode of The Housing Economy, Lucas and Luna explore how homebuilders are rethinking floor plans to cater to the work-from-home boom. With 30-year mortgage rates stuck at 6.53 percent and median home prices down to $403,200, builders are adding flex rooms — multipurpose spaces that can serve as home offices, gyms, or guest rooms. Lucas shares data from a recent survey showing that 68 per...

Episode 21 of The Housing Economy with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna explore the rise of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in new-home construction. With median home prices at $403,200 and mortgage rates hovering near 6.5%, builders are adding separate living spaces—sometimes called granny flats or in-law suites—as a way to offer rental income potential and multi-generational flexibility. Lucas breaks dow...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising trend reshaping new-home construction: builders are shrinking lot sizes to keep homes affordable. With the median home sale price at $403,200 and mortgage rates hovering around 6.53%, builders are squeezing floor plans and lot dimensions to hit price points that buyers can actually afford. Lucas explains how the average lot size for new single-...

Homebuilders are increasingly including rooftop solar panels as a standard feature, using energy savings to offset high mortgage rates. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how builders like Pulte and Lennar are partnering with solar installers, what it does to the sticker price, and whether buyers are actually saving money. They dig into the numbers: a typical solar lease can cut a monthly ele...

Episode 18 of The Housing Economy digs into a quiet shift in new-home construction: builders are adding more walk-in closets, flex rooms, and premium storage space even as they shrink overall square footage. Lucas and Luna examine why—using data from the latest housing starts and permits, plus a look at how Pulte and Lennar are adjusting floor plans. They explore the tension between affordability...

Lucas and Luna dig into the surprising shift happening in the rental market: with a wave of new apartment supply hitting cities across the Sun Belt and Midwest, landlords are slashing rents and offering concessions like free months of rent and waived parking fees. They explore why the national vacancy rate has climbed to its highest since the pandemic, why places like Austin and Phoenix are seeing...

Episode 16 of The Housing Economy breaks down a quiet shift in homebuilding: after years of building larger homes on bigger lots, builders are now designing smaller two-story floor plans that squeeze more units per acre without sacrificing buyer appeal. Lucas and Luna walk through the numbers behind the trend, using recent data from D.R. Horton and Lennar to explain why the new 'skinny' two-story...

In this episode of The Housing Economy, Lucas and Luna explore a noticeable shift in new-home construction: builders are increasingly offering single-story floor plans, even in markets where two-story homes have long dominated. With building permits up but housing starts down, the hosts examine how changing buyer preferences, aging demographics, and land costs are driving this trend. Lucas cites d...

Homebuilder stocks are surging this week with the XHB up nearly 8% in five days, but the real story is beneath the surface: builders are quietly buying land again. After two years of pulling back on land acquisition to preserve cash, major public builders like D.R. Horton and Lennar have started snapping up finished lots and raw parcels. Lucas and Luna dig into why — and what it signals for housin...

Homebuilders have a secret weapon in the fight to move inventory: dynamic pricing powered by machine learning. Lucas and Luna break down how DR Horton, Lennar, and Pulte are using algorithms to adjust prices daily based on demand, competitor moves, and even weather forecasts. They explore how this pricing model — borrowed from airlines and hotels — is reshaping the new-home market, and what it mea...

With 30-year mortgage rates creeping back above 6.5% and homebuilder stocks surging 4-6% in a single week, a quiet pricing tactic is reshaping the new-home market. Lucas and Luna break down how builders like D.R. Horton, Lennar, and Pulte are using permanent and temporary mortgage rate buy-downs to lower monthly payments without cutting list prices. They explain the mechanics: a builder pays the l...

Homebuilders are slashing prices to clear inventory as mortgage rates tick up to 6.51 percent. Lucas and Luna examine the strategy behind recent price cuts from D.R. Horton and Lennar, and why some builders are offering mortgage rate buydowns instead of lowering base prices. They discuss how this affects the Case-Shiller index and what it means for buyers waiting on the sidelines. Plus, the hosts...

While home prices soften and mortgage rates tick up, homebuilder stocks are roaring—up 4 to 6 percent in the last five trading days. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising driver: stock buybacks. With housing starts slipping to 1.465 million annualized in April and permits rising to 1.442 million, builders have cash on hand and are choosing to repurchase shares aggressively. Lucas b...

Homebuilders like D.R. Horton and Lennar are posting strong stock gains even as mortgage rates rise and consumer sentiment hits a record low. Lucas and Luna dig into the strategy driving this divergence: builders are squeezing margins, cutting square footage, and offering rate buydowns to move inventory. Median home prices have dipped to $403,200, but the Case-Shiller index keeps climbing — a sign...

Lucas and Luna dig into a puzzle that's driving the housing market right now: mortgage rates are climbing again even though the Federal Reserve has kept rates flat for months. They use real data from May 2026 — including the 30-year fixed rate hitting 6.51 percent, up from 6.36 just weeks earlier — to explain what's behind the move. The episode focuses on the spread between mortgage rates and the...