Let America Build is a new national public-awareness effort that unites a broad swath of the real-estate sector around a single premise: more homes require more building. The initiative seeks to inform voters, raise housing supply as a shared priority, and spark fact-based dialogue about local actions that can unlock construction.
Industry coalition launches campaign
Founding participants include major online platforms and trade groups such as Realtor.com, Zillow, T3 Sixty, eXP Realty, 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. Each member will use its voice to explain how pro-building policies can expand supply, strengthen neighborhoods and renew opportunity for the next generation.
The campaign’s website, LetAmericaBuild.org, offers real-world examples and resources on how land-use rules, permitting processes, housing types and construction methods shape supply in individual communities. Organizers say the race to increase building activity has officially begun.
Supply gap and policy backdrop
Research from Realtor.com estimates a national shortage of 4.03 million homes. The National Association of Home Builders reports that government regulation, taxes, fees and other costs add more than 26 percent to the price of an average new single-family house. Zillow’s analysis suggests that building on the more than 300,000 small vacant lots listed for sale could shave 6.3 percent off the deficit.
“If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together, and with a problem as big as America’s home shortage, it is time we go together,” said Damian Eales, CEO of Realtor.com. He added that the recent 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act gives elected officials new tools to make housing supply a visible community priority.
“America’s housing shortage is pricing renters and buyers out of the communities they love. We know what’s driving it and we know what will fix it: streamlining permitting, modernizing zoning and unlocking land that’s already there,” said Jeremy Wacksman, CEO of Zillow. He praised the bipartisan law as a real commitment to addressing the issue.
Compared with past attempts to rally industry support, this coalition is unusually broad, spanning traditional builders, tech-driven platforms and advocacy groups. That breadth mirrors a growing consensus that isolated policy tweaks are insufficient; coordinated outreach may be the only way to shift public perception and local decision-making.
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Jack Miller, President & CEO of T3 Sixty, noted that affordability and supply are the biggest challenges facing the sector and that the campaign aims to raise awareness of practical, local solutions that get more homes built. “A stronger housing market is the foundation everyone in real estate builds on,” he said.
Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty and NextHome, emphasized the need for flexible, choice-driven approaches at the local level, arguing that fewer barriers and faster paths from plan to reality are essential to tackling the shortage.
Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, said the effort brings stakeholders together with officials at every level to address the affordability crisis by removing inefficient zoning rules, unnecessary regulations and permitting delays.
Sara Bronin, CEO of Land Use Labs, highlighted that her team has examined 1.4 million pages of zoning codes and sees the consequences of red tape up close, day in and day out. She expressed pride in joining a campaign that believes the status quo is broken.
Chris Kelly, President & CEO of Home Services of America, framed the supply challenge as years-long and called for industry, policymakers and communities to work together to create more homes, neighborhoods and opportunities for people to put down roots.
The next phase of the effort will unfold in communities across the country, where state and local governments decide what can be built, where it can be built and how quickly projects move from plan to reality. A substantial pool of vacant parcels is currently listed for sale, offering a concrete set of land that could be developed under streamlined rules.
Extending the SXSW momentum
The Let America Build effort expands on a previous Realtor.com initiative that debuted at the South by Southwest conference in 2025. That gathering brought together housing experts, policymakers and industry leaders to spotlight the link between housing supply and affordability, laying groundwork for a coordinated national push.
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Unlike earlier, more limited outreach, the current campaign operates under a dedicated website that aggregates case studies, toolkits and best-practice guides for local officials and citizens. By centralizing these resources, the alliance hopes to demystify the processes that govern land-use decisions, permitting timelines and construction methods, making them accessible to a broader audience.
Coalition breadth and forthcoming actions
Beyond the core members highlighted earlier, the alliance incorporates groups such as the Asian Real Estate Association of America, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. Each organization contributes its own perspective on how inclusive, equitable housing development can be achieved across diverse communities.
John Featherston, founder and CEO of RISMedia, emphasized the urgency of a unified approach, stating that the high cost of homes prevents many Americans from attaining ownership and that a concerted building effort is essential to tackling affordability.
Alex Cruz, Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, noted that expanding housing supply and removing unnecessary development barriers can open pathways to homeownership for LGBTQ+ individuals who often encounter distinct obstacles in the market.
The campaign explicitly refrains from endorsing any political candidates, parties or ballot measures, focusing instead on factual education and actionable policy recommendations. It leverages the authority granted by the bipartisan law, which equips states and municipalities with new incentives and flexibility to modernize housing systems and streamline approvals.
Implementation will unfold at the local level.
State and municipal leaders determine zoning allowances, site-selection criteria and the speed at which projects move from concept to construction. By providing a repository of successful examples and a forum for dialogue, Let America Build aims to empower communities to translate national policy tools into tangible building outcomes.
