Tackling the Affordability Crisis with Dr. Arpit Gupta

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May 7, 2025

Dr. Arpit Gupta, a finance professor at NYU Stern, dives deep into the housing affordability crisis. He reveals how local regulations can hinder access to affordable homes and discusses surprising truths about property taxes affecting young families. Gupta sheds light on why Texas housing is more affordable than California's despite high demand. He also explores how remote work is reshaping urban living and the role of home equity during economic downturns. This conversation uncovers vital insights into navigating the complexities of the housing market.

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INSIGHT

AI Simplifies Housing Regulations

AI and large language models help decode the complex local housing regulations nationwide.
These tools simplify thousands of municipal ordinances into comparable regulation data.

INSIGHT

Exclusionary Zoning Limits Affordability

Exclusionary zoning rules like minimum lot sizes limit affordable housing availability.
Such regulations set a minimum housing expense, excluding lower-income families from certain areas.

INSIGHT

California's Unique Affordability Factors

California's housing regulations are not uniquely strict compared to other states.
Its affordability challenges stem from geographic constraints, high demand, and process regulations, not just zoning.

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In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Dr. Arpit Gupta of NYU’s Stern School of Business. The two discuss Dr. Gupta’s important research on housing affordability, and the causes and cures of our unaffordable housing market. They uncover insights about which local regulations are the most negative for affordable housing, surprising data about how property taxes impact families and the market, and how home equity will impact future economic downturns.

About Arpit Gupta

Arpit Gupta is a professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Professor Gupta's research interests focus on using large datasets to understand default dynamics real estate and household finance. He received his B.S. in math and econ at the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. in Finance and econ from Columbia Business School. Dr. Gupta has done really useful research on housing affordability. He’s studied the impact of housing regulation and taxation on affordability.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

The ways in which regulation contributes to unaffordability in the housing market
Which types of local regulations are the most negative for housing affordability
Why low property taxes hurt young families
One surprising reason that Texas real estate is more affordable than California
What California does well and what it does poorly in the battle for affordability
Why New York’s AirBnB ban didn’t help affordability
How remote work has changed the housing market and what’s next

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Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos

A true data geek, Mike founded Altos in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.

About Altos

Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.

⁠Schedule a demo⁠ to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: ⁠How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business⁠.

The Top of Mind podcast features top real estate industry insiders and experts to unpack the most important housing, real estate, mortgage data and trends that are shaping the housing market. Hosted by Altos founder Mike Simonsen and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

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