Can’t Afford a Home? Try Multifamily Investments!

🎙️ Episode Summary

Neal Bawa joins host Aaron Fragnito to break down why homeownership has slipped out of reach for millions—even for high earners—and why the U.S. is quietly shifting toward a nation of permanent renters. Neal explains how Mission 10K uses AI, data, and a radically different development model to build affordable rental townhomes for the middle class at scale. They dig into broken housing policy, soaring absorption, distressed development opportunities, and why rents will keep rising even if home prices flatten. It’s a fast, data-driven look at where housing is headed and how investors can stay ahead of the curve.

📌 Key Takeaways

• Homeownership is breaking. Even six-figure earners can’t qualify for starter homes in major markets.
• 52 million Americans are “forever renters.” Income growth can’t bridge the affordability gap.
• Policy isn’t solving housing. The U.S. now builds only 17,000 affordable units a year.
• Rents keep rising. Expect ~3% annual rent growth as supply pressure fades.
• Townhomes win. Over 60% of townhome renters say “this is my home.”
• Mission 10K disrupts costs. AI + data + aggressive land strategy make middle-class rents possible.
• Distress = opportunity. Unfinished or failing projects are turning into value buys.
• Education is free. Multifamily University provides deep, data-backed insights with no paywall.