A group of players in the residential real estate industry, including Zillow, the National Association of Home Builders and Habitat for Humanity, have signed on to Realtor.com’s “Let America Build” public awareness campaign aimed at encouraging new-home development to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing.
The campaign, which Realtor.com launched at SXSW in 2025, aims to encourage state and local officials to take advantage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which passed earlier this year and is described as one of the most significant pieces of pro-housing legislation to come out of Washington in decades. The act seeks to spur new-home construction by expanding financing options, helping localities cut red tape and supporting a wider range of housing types.
Let America Build is founded on a simple premise: “if America wants more homes, America must build more homes,” the group said in an announcement, noting that the United States currently faces a housing shortage of 4.03 million homes. The shortage is exacerbated by barriers to construction, such as government regulation, taxes, fees and other costs, which can add over 26% to the price of an average new single-family home.
Founding participants include: Realtor.com, Zillow, T3 Sixty, eXp Realty and NextHome, the National Association of Home Builders, Veterans United, Habitat for Humanity, ICON, Land Use Labs, Home Services of America, RIS Media, the Asian Real Estate Association of America, the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.
“Earlier this year, I challenged the industry to come together and unify. Let America Build is a result of that call,” Realtor.com CEO Damian Eales said. “Now after the 21st Century ROAD to Housing bill has become law, elected officials have the opportunity to make housing supply a visible community priority. This campaign aims to help Americans engage in real conversations about how their communities can create more housing opportunities.”
The group noted that the founding partners are just the first members of the initiative and hopes to recruit more stakeholders. Those interested in learning more can visit LetAmericaBuild.org.
“Let America Build brings industry stakeholders together with officials at every level of government to address the nation’s housing affordability crisis by removing inefficient zoning rules, unnecessary regulations, permitting delays and other barriers that keep builders from delivering more affordable, attainable homes,” NAHB CEO Jim Tobin said. “The campaign builds on the momentum of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and advances practical solutions to help builders expand the nation’s housing supply.”