Housing Insiders

Housing Insiders

Jonathan Lawless and Jeremy Potter

The housing market is wonky. From policy changes to financial innovations to pilot projects that make housing more plentiful and affordable, there’s a ton of “inside baseball” to discuss and take action on. Each episode, hear the latest developments and trends in home building and home financing - from “sticks-and-bricks” to AI - and learn what you can do to improve the housing industry. Hosted by housing market thought leaders Jonathan Lawless and Jeremy Potter, and featuring interviews with disruptive guests across the housing industry. If you want to see everyone well-housed, tune in. Jonathan Lawless has spent his career pro...

Understanding RESPA: A Conversation with Trip Riley, Saul Ewing

Understanding RESPA: A Conversation with Trip Riley, Saul Ewing

In this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy predict what will happen with mortgage rates and discuss the best ways the rates can be cut. Next, Saul Ewing Partner Trip Riley joins the show to talk all things RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act). Hear why RESPA exists, the logic behind the exceptions, what RESPA does to the cost structure, how to think about referrals as they relate to RESPA, and how changes to RESPA could even happen. Email Podcast@TheHousingInsiders.com with

Feb 16, • 1:05:23

A Pretty Chaotic 24 Hours

A Pretty Chaotic 24 Hours

On this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy discuss the confusion that reigned in Washington, DC last week, after the White House memo ordering a freeze on all federal grants and loans seemed to put a myriad of housing programs in jeopardy. According to Jonathan, “If you want to stop federal grants, you have to be a little more thoughtful than just cutting them all immediately.” HUD has since clarified FHA, USDA, and VA lending programs will continue, and the entire order has been blo

Feb 3, • 28:27

Reaching the Unbanked through Fintech: A Conversation with Steve Royster, MoCaFi

Reaching the Unbanked through Fintech: A Conversation with Steve Royster, MoCaFi

In this episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy discuss what the wildfires mean for homeowners insurance nationwide and the long-term impact the wildfires will have on the homebuilding process, including the prognosis for factory-built homes. Next, Steve Royster, Head of Community Banking & Marketing at MoCaFi (Mobility Capital Finance), joins the show to talk about his work reaching and helping unbanked Americans. “There are credit-worthy people in black and brown communities, underbanke

Jan 19, • 57:43

The Year Ahead in Housing: 2024 Recap & 2025 Predictions for the Housing Industry

The Year Ahead in Housing: 2024 Recap & 2025 Predictions for the Housing Industry

It’s a time unlike any other in the housing industry. In this special episode of Housing Insiders, Jonathan & Jeremy review the highlight reel of some of their favorite guests from 2024, discussing insights learned and revealing their big bets for 2025. Hear their positive & negative takes on the housing industry heading into 2025, including what rising insurance and property taxes will mean for homeowners, predictions on where builders will turn their attention in the new year, and what home fi

Jan 6, • 56:29

Investing in AI Housing Startups: A Conversation with Jared Stasik, Detroit Venture Partners (DVP)

Investing in AI Housing Startups: A Conversation with Jared Stasik, Detroit Venture Partners (DVP)

Jared Stasik, Partner at Detroit Venture Partners (DVP), joins Housing Insiders to chat a day in the life of funding early-stage tech companies, including housing startups. DVP was founded in 2010 by Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans/Rocket Mortgage Founder & Chairman and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a vision to grow Detroit's entrepreneurial community. Hear how Jared decides what types of housing companies to invest in, the typical timeline for housing companies to reach a return, how to nav

Dec 23, 2024 • 35:59

Momentum in Modular: A Conversation with Hugh Frater, Vessel Technologies

Momentum in Modular: A Conversation with Hugh Frater, Vessel Technologies

Hugh Frater, the former CEO of Fannie Mae (and Jonathan’s old boss) joins Housing Insiders to offer his blunt take on solving the housing crisis. According to Frater, "I don't think we should be promoting homeownership per se. I think we should just be finding ways to deliver more housing without regard to whether it's rental or for sale." As Chairman of Vessel Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of panelized multifamily apartment buildings that are “Class A housing at a Class B rent,” Fr

Dec 9, 2024 • 39:05

Market Trends: A Conversation with Ivy Zelman

Market Trends: A Conversation with Ivy Zelman

Ivy Zelman is the CEO of Zelman & Associates. When it comes to housing trends, Ivy has developed a reputation for “seeing around corners,’’ and her accurate forecasts – including predicting the 2008 housing crash - make her one of the most influential people we know. In this episode, Ivy takes out her crystal ball once again and has some harsh warnings for the industry about the headwinds she sees coming from climate change, and how that will impact migration trends across the US. Plus, Ivy shar

Nov 25, 2024 • 33:58

The 401(k) for Homeownership: A Conversation with Landy Liu, Foyer

The 401(k) for Homeownership: A Conversation with Landy Liu, Foyer

The down payment on a home continues to be unrealistic for many Americans. How can we change that? Landy Liu is the Founder of Foyer, a savings platform for first-time homebuyers. Think of it as the “401(k) for homeownership.” Hear him reveal how their savings platform works, the key things to keep in mind as a first-time homebuyer, what the government can do to help first-time homebuyers, how Foyer makes money, and what he wishes existed in the housing market. Following the interview, you’ll me

Nov 11, 2024 • 33:35

Rent-to-Own Homes: A Conversation with K.C. Cleary, Pathway Homes

Rent-to-Own Homes: A Conversation with K.C. Cleary, Pathway Homes

With traditional homeownership more unattainable than ever, aspirational homeowners are exploring ‘rent-to-own’ options. K.C. Cleary is the Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Pathway Homes, a real estate company that provides new construction rentals to tenants, with the option to purchase them over time. Cleary explains that renting gives tenants time to build their credit score and save for a down payment, while ‘test driving’ a home and neighborhood to make sure it’s a good fit. In this c

Oct 28, 2024 • 38:24

Bonus Episode: Dissecting the Candidates’ Housing Promises with Jeb Mason, Mindset

Bonus Episode: Dissecting the Candidates’ Housing Promises with Jeb Mason, Mindset

The 2024 presidential election is only weeks away, and housing is front and center as a campaign issue like never before, with each candidate promising they have a plan to make housing more plentiful and affordable. To break down what Trump and Harris’ campaign promises are all about, we talk to Jeb Mason, a partner at public policy consultancy Mindset, and a housing wonk like us. There are promises of down payment assistance and new homes across federal lands, but as Jeb points out, “Neither ca

Oct 21, 2024 • 38:40

Homebuilding with UNskilled Laborers? A Conversation with Aleks Gampel, Cuby

Homebuilding with UNskilled Laborers? A Conversation with Aleks Gampel, Cuby

The homebuilding process is slow and expensive. Jonathan says it’s driven by the Three L’s: Lumber, Laws, and Labor. Aleks Gampel, Co-Founder of Cuby, is here to help that. Cuby deploys Mobile Micro-Factories (MMFs) globally to solve challenges within the home construction economy and beyond. Aleks, Jonathan, and Jeremy discuss navigating the issues with home construction today, how the MMFs work, Cuby’s ideal customers, how housing supply will drive home costs down, and his thoughts on ADUs (Ac

Oct 14, 2024 • 32:41

Fractional Home Ownership: A Conversation with Prosperity Now’s Marisa Calderon

Fractional Home Ownership: A Conversation with Prosperity Now’s Marisa Calderon

If home ownership is still a key to wealth generation, how can more Americans get their piece of the pie? Marisa Calderon, the President & CEO of Prosperity Now, joins Jonathan and Jeremy to talk about new approaches to building prosperity, including fractional home ownership and other “on ramps to wealth” through collaborative ownership of different kinds of assets. From co-ownership platform Nestment to Atlanta-based real estate investment fund Roots, these three discuss the startup landscape,

Sep 30, 2024 • 31:44

Breaking Down the NAR Settlement

Breaking Down the NAR Settlement

The recent National Association of Realtors settlement comes at a critical time for the housing industry, as startups continue to try to shake up the status quo and housing affordability remains at crisis levels. In this episode, Jonathan & Jeremy break down the outcome of the settlement and discuss what it means for every person involved in a home sale – from lenders and appraisers, to buyers and sellers, and of course for the realtors whose livelihoods have long depended upon that 3% commissio

Sep 16, 2024 • 44:33

Cracking the Housing Industrial Complex

Cracking the Housing Industrial Complex

After Jonathan and Jeremy dissect the housing headlines (spoiler alert: the NAR settlement may not actually bring down costs for buyers and sellers) they vent about the glacial pace at which much-needed reform is happening. “‘Work harder and wait longer,’ that’s the message the housing industrial complex is sending,” says Jeremy. Jonathan, himself a veteran of Fannie Mae, says many of the pilot projects the GSEs lead “feel like a way of just kicking the can.” So, what would a “Lawless” pilot loo

Sep 2, 2024 • 39:13

The State of Housing with Odeta Kushi

The State of Housing with Odeta Kushi

Welcome to Housing Insiders! In this pilot episode, your co-hosts Jonathan Lawless and Jeremy Potter welcome special guest Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist for First American Financial Corporation. Hear an overview of the state of housing affordability today, the cities Millennials and Gen Zers are migrating to, the impact of remote work on housing and office spaces, why the cities are (maybe) dying, and the true cost of home ownership. Email Podcast@TheHousingInsiders.com with any questions

Aug 20, 2024 • 34:22

Trailer - Housing Insiders

Trailer - Housing Insiders

Welcome to Housing Insiders! Meet your co-hosts, Jonathan Lawless and Jeremy Potter. They’re two housing wonks who know just about everyone in the housing industry, from founders and builders to lenders and regulators. The multi-trillion dollar housing market is complicated, and for all the great ideas and innovations, buying a home is not affordable, and everyone knows the rent is still too damn high. On Housing Insiders, Jonathan and Jeremy talk to those in the know, going beneath the headline

Aug 12, 2024 • 1:18

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