Report points to Trump cuts as latest obstacle to region’s housing growth

As more people in the Boston area feel squeezed by the housing market, they’re facing a new hurdle: a drop in the economic growth that normally spurs new construction.

So far, the slowdown has done little to relieve a growing affordability gap for buyers and renters, according to the Greater Boston Housing Report Card released on Nov. 12 by The Boston Foundation, its researchers at Boston Indicators, and Boston University’s Initiative on Cities. But, in contrast with previous reports, researchers went beyond local regulatory hurdles to blame federal funding cuts, immigration policies, and tariffs introduced under President Trump for creating “deep uncertainty” in what has long been one of the country’s least affordable housing markets.

Foreclosures Are Surging Under Donald Trump

Foreclosure activity in the U.S. is on the rise in 2025, a notable shift that begins to undo a decade of relative stability. According to the property‑data and analytics firm ATTOM, 36,766 properties had a foreclosure filing in October, marking a three percent rise from September, a 19 percent jump over the past year, and the eighth consecutive month of annual increases.

GBH Daily: 85% of renters can’t afford to buy a starter home

Half of renters in the Boston area spend more than a third of their income on rent, and only 15% earn enough that they could afford to buy a starter home in the region, according to the Greater Boston Housing Report Card, released yesterday by the Boston Foundation. That means households need an income of $162,000 a year to afford one of the region’s less expensive homes. Just four years ago, researchers estimated 30% of Boston-area renters could afford to buy a starter home.

Report card: Affordability gap grows for those seeking starter homes in Mass.

While housing construction is up and home prices have stabilized, researchers expect home buyers and renters will continue to face affordability headwinds in Massachusetts. Home prices and rents have flattened in 2025 but are still “historically” high, according to a 108-page Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025 released by The Boston Foundation and Boston Indicators on Wednesday.

Can you afford a “starter home” in the Boston area? Housing report says only 15% of renters make enough.

A new report shows it’s increasingly difficult for renters to make the leap to home ownership in the Boston area. The Boston Foundation’s 2025 Housing Report Card says that just 15% of renter households can afford a “starter home” in Greater Boston. The report defines a starter home as one that’s in the bottom tier of home values because it’s smaller or in a less expensive neighborhood.

Report: Affordability gap grows for those seeking starter homes in Greater Boston

While housing construction is up and home prices have stabilized, researchers expect home buyers and renters will continue to face affordability headwinds in Massachusetts. Home prices and rents have flattened in 2025 but are still “historically” high, according to a 108-page Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025 released by The Boston Foundation and Boston Indicators on Wednesday.

Only 1 in 7 Greater Boston renters can afford a starter home, new report finds

For more and more families in Greater Boston, buying a home has quickly become out of reach. A new analysis from the Boston Foundation released Wednesday found that just one in seven renter households can afford a starter home in Greater Boston. With much higher housing prices and mortgage rates, it’s a dramatic change from just four years ago, when nearly a third could afford a starter home.