Let's focus on what really matters in real estate — housing 

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The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and were first published on Realtor.com.

As we approach a new year, I am asking our industry to make one resolution: Let's recommit ourselves to a shared purpose that unites us — fighting for access for the American homeowner.

Ours is an industry built on problem solving. Yet, too often lately it has been beset by bickering. We have exhausted our energy debating the merits of Clear Cooperation and the demerits of private listings. These debates, while legitimate, have become distractions from larger challenges, and while we argue over how to slice a shrinking pie, millions of Americans are starving for a slice of the American Dream.

It is time to trade our discord for a common chorus. We must align on the one issue that truly matters: Housing Supply.

Fixing supply key to affordability, promise of American Dream

The math is merciless. America is short 4 million homes. Active inventory remains roughly 12% below pre-pandemic levels. Prices have climbed 66% in a decade. The human cost is just as stark: The age of the first-time buyer has jumped a full decade to a record high of 40. The ladder of homeownership isn't just missing rungs; it's being pulled up out of reach.

Too often, politicians prefer the popular promise of demand-side subsidies, such as tax credits. It is easier to promise cash than to pour concrete. But as housing industry leaders, we know that fueling demand without fixing supply only fans the flames of affordability. Supply is the solution.

At Realtor.com, we are using our journalism to hold a mirror to the market, publishing state scorecards and explicitly identifying where housing progress is stalling. This coming year we will take this message to SXSW to underscore a vital truth: Homeownership is the engine of generational wealth. And to exclude the next generation isn't just a missed sale, it is the cementing of a catastrophic and lasting economic divide.

Local action is crucial

I have met with many in Washington to surface solutions. But while we lobby the Feds, the heavy lifting happens at home. The roadblocks to housing supply aren't in Congress; they are in state legislatures, city councils and the zoning meetings of local townships. This is where the industry has real influence.

As brokers, agents, and MLS leaders, you are our civic chorus. And the media covering our industry, you have an opportunity to unite us to a common cause. Let us shift our energy from insular irrelevance to local leadership. Lobby for modernized zoning. Overcome NIMBYism. Advocate for the "missing middle."

Let's move our focus from policy paralysis to property production.

If we channel even a fraction of the energy of the industry into lobbying local lawmakers and advancing solutions, we won't just save our industry. We will house our neighbors.

In 2026, Let America Build.

Damian Eales has been the CEO of Move, Inc. and Realtor.com since 2023. He previously served as CMO and COO at News Corp Australia and as EVP and Global Head of Transformation for News Corp in New York — the parent company of Move, Inc.