Following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, Rick Judson, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), issued the following statement: “Extremely tight mortgage credit conditions are hampering the housing recovery and hurting job growth. The nation’s home builders were very pleased to hear President Obama acknowledge this fact when he said ‘too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected.’ The President further noted that the housing sector must be involved in the rebuilding effort and we wholeheartedly agree. Building 100,000 homes creates 300,000 full-time jobs. With the right policies in place, housing can continue to lead the economy forward. NAHB stands ready to work with the Administration, Congress and regulators to ease restrictive lending requirements so that qualified home buyers can obtain affordable home loans and to open up the lines of credit for home builders so they can meet growing demand in communities across the nation.”

(Photo credit: National Association of Home Builders–modular under construction)