US President Donald Trump has put housing affordability at the center of his economic plans. He has announced several moves aimed at helping more people buy homes. These include limiting big investors from buying houses and pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy billions worth of mortgage backed securities.

The goal is simple. Make homes cheaper and boost ownership. But experts say these steps may not solve the real problem.

Jake Krimmel, a senior economist at Realtor, says these ideas only help in the short term. He believes they do not fix the deeper issues hurting the housing market.

Krimmel says policies that boost demand can give a temporary lift. More buyers enter the market. Activity picks up. But the supply of homes stays tight. When there are not enough homes, prices usually rise again.

He says the real issue is not demand. It is supply. The US simply does not build enough homes. Without a big increase in construction, affordability will stay out of reach for many buyers.

Krimmel added that demand focused policies can even make things worse. Prices can go up faster. First time buyers may end up no better off than before.

Another challenge is that the housing market is not the same everywhere. Krimmel pointed out that there is no single national housing market. Every region faces different problems.

In the Northeast and Midwest, there are very few homes for sale and construction is limited. In the South and West, more homes are being built, but prices are still too high for many families.

Because of this, federal policies alone cannot fix everything. Local governments need to play a bigger role. Changes to zoning laws, support for builders, and funding for affordable housing are all needed. Without local action, national policies can miss the mark.

Trump has also been pushing hard for lower interest rates. Mortgage rates are currently around 6.2%. A drop to about 5.5% could change buyer behavior.

Lower rates would make monthly payments cheaper. More first time buyers could enter the market. Homeowners with older low rate mortgages might also decide to sell, adding more homes for sale.

But this comes with a downside. Cheaper loans can also push prices higher again. This could cancel out any gains in affordability.

In the end, experts say Trump’s housing plans may bring some short term relief. But lasting change will require more homes to be built and stronger action at the local level. Without that, the affordability crisis is unlikely to go away.