In this week’s industry news episode of The Land Development Podcast, Ryan Glick and Charles Covey cover three major headlines shaping the real estate and land development industries. First, they explore Florida’s decision to end the sales tax on commercial lease payments, which could boost the state’s appeal for businesses and investors. Charles shares why this may be Florida’s way of leveling the playing field with states like Texas and the Carolinas, especially in light of high insurance costs.
Next, the conversation shifts to a new move by the FHFA to allow rent payment history to count when assessing mortgage eligibility. Ryan and Charles discuss how this can help first-time buyers and renters with limited credit history, while also questioning why it took so long for rent payments to be included in credit evaluations. They break down how landlords currently report, or don’t report, rent to credit bureaus and what may change moving forward.
The third and final headline focuses on national security. The Trump administration has announced a new plan to stop Chinese nationals and entities from buying U.S. farmland. Charles discusses the risks of foreign ownership, including real examples of surveillance concerns near military bases and how agro-terrorism could threaten the country’s food systems. They also talk about how the government may force the resale of land already purchased by banned entities.
Ryan sits down with Peter Murphy Lewis to talk about how storytelling can help developers and builders attract better talent and build stronger teams. They break down simple, practical ways to use video and real stories to stand out in today’s labor market.
Keith Miller joins the show to talk about his focus on building attainably priced homes at scale in Montana, why he’s using factory-built housing, and what it really takes to bring new supply to fast-growing markets.
Ryan and Charles break down falling homebuyer demand, a heated TikTok debate on millennial housing choices, a proposed property tax hike in New York City, and what a shrinking U.S. population could mean for developers.