A collaborative effort is working to expand housing production, improve attainability, and create more housing choices across New Mexico.

New Mexico faces a significant housing shortage affecting both urban and rural communities. Addressing that challenge will require cooperation across the housing industry, from real estate and construction to economic development, local government, housing organizations, and policymakers.

The New Mexico Association of REALTORS® (NMAR) is helping bring the REALTOR® perspective to that work as a founding member of the Housing Abundance Coalition, a cross-sector group focused on practical policy solutions that increase housing production, improve attainability, and create more housing choices for New Mexicans. HA! 

REALTORS® Have a Seat at the Table

Garrett Moseley, NMAR Director of Government Affairs & Policy, is participating in the coalition on behalf of NMAR and its members. His involvement helps ensure the experiences REALTORS® see every day, including limited inventory, affordability challenges, development barriers, and the needs of communities across the state, are part of the policy conversation.

“The Housing Abundance (HA) Coalition’s goal is to bring diverse stakeholder participation from across the real estate industry to identify solutions and opportunities to address the housing crisis in New Mexico," says Garrett Moseley, NMAR Director of Government Affairs & Policy. " We want to see meaningful legislation passed that will make a difference for New Mexicans across the state. By working as a coalition, we not only amplify our voice but create an environment where industry expertise and policy ideas can be shared openly and collaboratively.

As a member of the Housing Abundance Coalition, NMAR is proud to bring the REALTOR® perspective to a collaborative effort and to advocate for expanded housing opportunities and strengthening communities across New Mexico.”

A 2027 Policy Framework

The Housing Abundance Coalition has developed a 2027 Policy Framework centered on four areas where policy changes could help address New Mexico's housing challenges.

1. Housing Ready Communities
   Local land-use codes, permitting and entitlement processes, infrastructure requirements, impact fees, and other regulations can add costs, delays, and uncertainty to housing production. The coalition supports providing technical assistance to local governments, improving access to housing funding, modernizing zoning and permitting, and encouraging locally appropriate policies that make housing development more predictable. HA! 
2. Bridge to Housing Attainability
   Limited inventory, high interest rates, development costs, infrastructure needs, and other barriers can make attainable rental and ownership housing difficult to produce and access. Proposed solutions include expanding sustainable mortgage rate buydowns, down payment assistance, infrastructure investments, and other programs designed to improve affordability while encouraging housing production. HA! 
3. Reforming Tax Policy That Dissuades Housing Creation
   The framework identifies property tax reassessments on multifamily housing and New Mexico's Gross Receipts Tax on construction materials and labor as potential obstacles to new development and preservation of existing housing. The coalition supports reforms aimed at making taxation more predictable and reducing costs that can make attainable housing projects difficult to build. HA! 
4. Rural Housing Development Incentives
   Housing challenges do not stop at the edges of New Mexico's larger cities. Rural communities can face high infrastructure and site-readiness costs, limited development capacity, and difficulty accessing funding. The coalition supports tools including technical assistance, targeted tax incentives, infrastructure investment, site-readiness funding, grant-writing support, rehabilitation programs, and responsible financing mechanisms. HA! 

Advocacy Through Collaboration

NMAR is not working alone. The Housing Abundance Coalition brings together organizations representing home builders, REALTORS®, commercial real estate, apartments, housing, economic development, chambers of commerce, workforce development, and other sectors. The coalition is also engaging elected officials and additional organizations in the discussion.

That broad participation is important because New Mexico's housing shortage is not a challenge any single organization or policy can solve.

For REALTORS®, NMAR's involvement means the industry has a voice as housing proposals are developed and considered. By contributing real-world market expertise and advocating alongside other stakeholders, NMAR is working to advance policies that can expand housing opportunities, strengthen communities, and help more New Mexicans find a place to call home.

Learn more about the Housing Abundance Coalition

Download Housing Abundance's Policy Framework Flyer by clicking the image below.