Affordable Housing Institute : US

[previous months in review available here: Sep 07, Aug 07, Jul 07, Jun 07, May 07,  Apr 07, Mar 07, Feb 07, Jan 07.]

Age 54, who are you?
 
In October, I turned 54, and so it’s perhaps with thoughts of senescence in mind that I wrote a two-part post, How a program ages: the six stages […]

Back in the good old days,
 

“Yesterday — all my troubles seemed so far away.”
 
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aggressively managed their earnings, keeping unrealized gains and losses in reserve so they could turbocharge the balance sheet and deliver earnings that matched estimates with heartwarming accuracy, and maximizing their seven- and eight-figure executive bonuses.
 

We must be […]

[Continued from yesterday’s Part 1 and Part 2.]
 

In the first part of this post , I offered the globe-trotting policy maker —
 

I’ve got your policy palmed in my hand
 
— four authentic American wares sure to suit any housing ministry’s mantelpiece:
 

Mickey always wanted a piece
 
Three levels of government
Credit enhancement at the affordability margin
Public-private housing finance agencies
Inclusionary zoning
 
Yesterday, in […]

[Continued from yesterday’s Part 1.]

See any cultural icons you’d like, honey?
 
For the global traveler taking advantage of the weak dollar to troll among the housing policy marketplaces of America, yesterday’s post listed four must-haves:
 
 
 
Beyond these staples, some discerning foreigners will seek the ‘might-fits’ —
 

Perhaps you would like a nice American export, my darling?
 
slightly more […]

Maybe it’s because the dollar’s down.  Or maybe it’s our ever-swelling reputation as a global guru. 
 

Al mod-con’s, room with a view
 
One way or another, I’ve had a flurry of inquiries, some on the phone, some via email, from among others South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria (really, they didn’t ask for money!), and Swaziland.  While some […]