The U.S. housing market faces a historic single-family inventory shortage, driving affordability challenges and limiting access for aspiring homeowners. In this episode, David Lykken is joined by Phil Bracken, Vice Chairman of Falcon Capital Advisors, to unpack real-world, executable solutions that policymakers, lenders, builders, and communities can act on now. Drawing on decades of experience in mortgage banking, federal policy, and housing advocacy, Bracken outlines four critical levers to unlock supply: stimulating new construction, freeing up locked-in existing homeowners, rehabilitating underutilized housing stock, and converting vacant commercial properties into residential housing. This conversation moves beyond theory into pragmatic strategies that could materially improve affordability and access across America.
Important Links
- Evaluation of three separate proposals “floated” by the White House within the past week:
- Falcon Capital Advisors
- LinkedIn – Phil Bracken
Phil Bracken is the Vice Chairman of Falcon Capital Advisors, a Washington DC based Consulting Firm providing strategic advice, technical expertise, advocacy support and business solutions to the Financial Services Industry; Housing Sector; and Government Agencies. For the past 20 years, Mr. Bracken has been Co-Chairman of the Consumer / Lender Roundtable in Washington, DC which includes the most influential Consumer Groups and many of the largest Lenders in America. Mr. Bracken helped form the Roundtable 20 years ago with the Consumer Federation of America. Mr. Bracken serves on the Corporate Board of Governors of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and was its first Chairman in 2010. He was previously Chairman of the Corporate Partners of the National League of Cities and is currently on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
He is also Chairman and Founder of the America’s Homeowner Alliance – the membership organization representing the 84 million existing (and aspiring) homeowners of America.
Immediately prior to joining Falcon Capital Advisors, Mr. Bracken was Managing Director of VantageScore Solutions where he had responsibility of getting VantageScore approved for use in the mainstream mortgage market. That goal was achieved in October 2022.