The New Housing Law Was Supposed To Help Buyers—Here’s Why Delays Are Coming Instead

Three months after the most comprehensive housing bill in decades became law, the agencies tasked with implementing it are still getting their bearings on what's next.The 21st Century Road to Housing Act proved a political roller coaster this year as it was closely debated in the House and Senate, breaking multiple deadlocks. Then, President Donald Trump, who initially championed it, stepped back amid other political priorities. But the final passage of the bill laid the groundwork for dozens of new provisions aimed at making it easier to buy a home.While the bill officially became law 10 days after it was submitted to the White House, it will be some time before some parts of the country see its impacts. And they come at a time when the involved government agencies are seeing cuts in funding.No one provision of the bill takes effect on its own. It will be up to federal agencies to write new rules and guidance. And some of that could mean new notices and programs that take some time to create.The bill created about a dozen programs on paper, but they need new funding, which will need to come from future congressional approvals. Because it came after the 2027 House budget, some prog...