Well shit, here we go again with another grand promise from the Trump camp. The former president just dropped what he's calling an "emergency price relief" executive action aimed at tackling the absolute mess that is America's housing market. But before we all start planning to buy that dream house, let's dive into what this actually means and why it might be more smoke than fire.

Trump's throwing around some pretty wild numbers, claiming that regulatory requirements make up a quarter of new home construction costs. That's a damn big chunk of change when you're talking about houses that cost as much as a small fortune. His pitch? Cut through the regulatory bullshit and watch housing prices magically drop.

The whole thing sounds pretty sweet on paper. I mean, who doesn't want cheaper houses? But here's where it gets complicated as fuck.

Let's be real for a second - this executive action has more holes in it than a screen door in a tornado. First off, it's about as specific as a horoscope reading. There's no actual roadmap for how any of this shit gets done. It's like promising to make dinner but not mentioning what you're cooking or how you'll cook it.

The bigger problem? Most of the regulations that actually matter are controlled by state and local governments. The feds can't just waltz in and tell cities how to handle their zoning laws or building codes. That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

And here's the real kicker - Trump's other policies might actually fuck up any savings we might get from cutting regulations. It's like trying to bail out a boat while drilling holes in the bottom.

Let's talk about where we're at right now, because holy hell, it's not pretty:

If you're looking to buy a new home right now, you're staring at a median price of $402,600. That's not a typo. That's how much the American Dream costs in November 2024.

Remember when mortgage rates were practically giving money away? Those 2.8% rates from January 2021 seem like a fairy tale now that we're dealing with 7.04%. That's a kick in the teeth for anyone trying to buy.

Want to build an apartment complex? Better have deep pockets because regulations are eating up 40.6% of development costs for multifamily housing. That's nearly half the damn budget just to satisfy the rulebook.

This is where things get messy. Trump's throwing around solutions, but some of his other ideas might create bigger problems:

That planned 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods? Say goodbye to affordable lumber. Last time we played this game, lumber prices went through the fucking roof.

And let's talk about deportations. You know who builds a lot of our houses? The same people Trump wants to kick out. Less workers means higher labor costs - it's basic supply and demand, folks.

Meanwhile, we've still got a housing shortage that would make a sardine can look spacious, and these interest rates aren't doing anyone any favors.

The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) is trying to play both sides here, and honestly, who can blame them? They're doing the political equivalent of trying to pat their head and rub their belly at the same time.

Sure, they're all for cutting federal regulations - who wouldn't want less paperwork? But they're shitting bricks (pun intended) about what stricter immigration policies might do to their workforce.

Their suggestion to look at policies "holistically" is basically builder-speak for "please don't fuck this up worse than it already is."

Here's the truth bomb: housing affordability is a complex problem that needs more than just executive actions and promises. We need actual, workable solutions that don't create new problems while trying to solve old ones.

The market needs stability, predictability, and policies that work together instead of fighting each other. Right now, we've got a proposal that might help in one area while causing chaos in others.

Is there potential for some good to come from cutting unnecessary regulations? Absolutely. But like everything in life, the devil's in the details - and right now, those details are about as clear as mud.