Bipartisan package passed by wide margins in both chambers before becoming law without a presidential signature
Nearly two years of sustained lobbying, coalition-building and grassroots mobilization by the National Association of REALTORS® has culminated in the enactment of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a sweeping federal housing package that association leaders are calling the most significant housing legislation to reach Congress in roughly two decades.
A Long Road to Passage
The effort traces back more than 21 months, when NAR set out to build bipartisan support for what it describes as the most significant federal housing package in a generation. The path was not a straight line. The Senate first passed its version of the ROAD to Housing Act in October 2025, the House advanced a companion measure — the Housing for the 21st Century Act — in February 2026, and the Senate then approved a combined, updated bill in March 2026 that merged elements of both chambers’ work. Because the House subsequently amended that combined bill, it required a second Senate vote before final passage.
That final push came in June, when the legislation cleared the House by a vote of 358-32 and the Senate by 85-5. Rather than signing the bill, President Trump allowed it to become law by declining to veto it within the constitutional 10-day window while Congress remained in session — a move tied to his objections over an unrelated elections proposal.
NAR’s Advocacy Machine
Throughout the campaign, NAR leaders testified before Congress, worked with lawmakers in both parties, supplied technical policy expertise and mobilized REALTORS® nationwide to press their elected officials directly. NAR Immediate Past President Kevin Sears testified before the full House Financial Services Committee in December 2025, and the effort spanned two NAR presidencies, with both Sears and successor Kevin Brown appearing before Congress in support of the measure. Nearly 8,000 REALTORS® traveled to Washington, D.C., for the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings to help deliver the final momentum toward passage.
NAR Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahn framed the achievement as proof of what disciplined, long-term advocacy can accomplish, noting it takes years of trust and bipartisan partnership to move legislation of this scope. She credited the outcome to research, polling and sustained engagement from REALTORS® across the country, and noted the campaign represented one of NAR’s largest coordinated advocacy pushes in recent memory, drawing on the association’s roughly 1.4 million to 1.5 million members.
Public opinion data reinforced the bipartisan framing. A June poll conducted by the American Property Owners Alliance during National Homeownership Month surveyed 800 registered voters with a 3.46% margin of error. It found 89% of voters backed the legislation, with support crossing party lines: 87% of Republicans, 91% of independents and 92% of Democrats.
What’s in the Law
The final package combines nearly 50 individual housing measures addressing five broad areas: increasing housing supply, improving affordability, expanding access to homeownership, strengthening housing finance and supporting veterans. Notable provisions include:
Sec. 107 – Housing Supply Frameworks: Directs HUD to develop zoning and land-use best practices to help communities remove barriers to development.
Sec. 201 – Increasing Housing in Opportunity Zones: Prioritizes HUD grants supporting construction and preservation within Opportunity Zones.
Sec. 202 – Whole-Home Repairs Act: Funds grants and forgivable loans to preserve aging housing stock.
Sec. 603 – Veterans Affairs Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act: Improves transparency for veteran homebuyers comparing VA and FHA financing.
Institutional investor limits: Bars investors owning 350 or more single-family homes from acquiring additional properties, with carve-outs for purpose-built rental developments.
Additional measures streamline environmental review for certain federally funded projects, encourage new community banks and credit unions, offer incentives for permitting reform and density bonuses, and pilot an FHA small-dollar mortgage program alongside support for manufactured and modular housing.
National Association of Home Builders Chair Bill Owens welcomed the law’s deregulatory elements, saying it marks an important step toward easing the nation’s affordability crisis by reducing regulatory barriers and helping builders
increase supply.
For real estate professionals, the practical effects will unfold gradually as agencies implement the law’s zoning, financing and supply-side provisions. Agents and brokerages may benefit over time from expanded inventory and financing options, though the law’s true impact on transaction volume and affordability will depend on federal, state and local implementation. NAR has signaled it will continue working with Congress and the administration on regulatory follow-through, framing the law’s passage not as an endpoint but as the foundation for the next phase of federal housing policy.
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