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Introducing H.O.M.E.— Home Ownership for Middle-Income Earners

Kathy Morin, 2025 NJ Realtors® President

One of the greatest privileges of serving as your association president is the opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to our members and to the clients and communities we serve. Today, I want to speak about a challenge that touches nearly every corner of New Jersey: housing affordability for middle-income earners.

When I use the term “middle-income earners,” I’m referring to the group once commonly described as the “middle class.” These are individuals and families seeking homes in the $350,000 to $750,000 range. Importantly, when I say, “housing affordability,” I am not speaking about “affordable housing” in the policy sense—a worthy and necessary conversation in its own right, but one with a deeply political and complex history in our state. Instead, I am speaking to the reality that too many New Jersey families who would once comfortably afford a home now find themselves priced out.

Over the past decade, housing affordability in New Jersey has eroded significantly, a trend made even more acute during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is middle-income earners have often been overlooked when it comes to programs, policies, and resources designed to help them not only enter the housing market, but also remain stable homeowners over the long term. As Realtors®, we see this struggle every day. And as an association, we feel it is our responsibility to help bring solutions forward.

That is why we are launching a new initiative focused squarely on this issue. We developed a three-pronged approach combining member input, public engagement, and legislative advocacy.

First, I will be convening a Presidential Advisory Group to provide comments, insights, and feedback as we develop content, resources, and strategies. Their expertise and perspectives will help ensure this effort reflects the realities of the marketplace and the needs of both our members and consumers.

Second, we will lead a public conversation around homeownership affordability. Our plan includes a series of articles addressing the many dimensions of this challenge: from infrastructure and housing policy to transfer taxes, hidden homeownership costs, evolving buyer preferences, and the ongoing debates around Not in My Backyard versus Yes in My Backyard. We will place this content strategically across key publications such as NJ Globe, InsiderNJ, and Politico Pro NJ to reach the decision-makers who can move the needle. We’ll also amplify this conversation through our own channels—op-eds, LinkedIn, and a dedicated landing page—to maximize reach and impact.

This approach represents a notable shift for our association. Historically, we have been conservative in joining public policy debates, preferring to work quietly behind the scenes. That strategy has served us well, building our reputation and strengthening our voice in Trenton and beyond. Today, we are in a position of credibility and influence, and it is the right time to step forward. When policymakers are ready to engage on solutions, we intend to already be at the table.

Third, we will advocate for the creation of a H.O.M.E. Task Force in the legislature to directly study and recommend solutions to New Jersey’s affordability crisis for middle-income earners.

This initiative is not just about shining a light on a problem; it is about demonstrating leadership, sparking solutions, and ensuring the dream of homeownership remains within reach for New Jersey’s middle class. Together, we can make a difference.

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