Want to buy a home in Fort Worth? This new law could make it easier
A new federal law is expected to make housing easier to access and more affordable for renters and homebuyers, as prices and population growth continue to rise in Fort Worth.
The landmark 21st Century Road to Housing Act became law on Saturday. The legislation would increase housing supply, modernize federal housing programs and reduce barriers that have made homeownership increasingly difficult for American families.
The law came into effect at a time when demand for homes and home prices are increasing. According to a 2023 Fort Worth housing report, the city is adding jobs faster than housing, which is increasing home values and putting ownership out of reach for most residents. The income required to buy a home in Fort Worth has roughly doubled in the last 10 years, the report said.
The report also shows areas of the city where residents could already be getting pushed out due to increasing home values and rising rents. Most of the residents in these areas identify as Hispanic or Black, according to the report.
Paul Epperley, the former president of Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors, said the bill will allow builders, lenders and homebuyers who have always worked independently to be on the same page and make the goal of homeownership available for the average American. The organization spent the last year advocating alongside the National Association of Realtors and Texas Realtors for many of the bill’s provisions.
“I think this bill, if nothing else, was a wake-up call and a signal from Congress that they’re willing to help us because they now realize that housing is an issue in the United States,” Epperley said.
The legislation includes nearly 60 standalone bills from the House, the Senate, or both chambers, combined into one massive package.
Some of the new laws include restrictions on institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes and eliminating the permanent chassis requirement for factory-built homes. It also includes increasing the cap on certain bank public-welfare investments from 15% to 20%, thus expanding banks’ capacity to invest in affordable housing and community development.
The law will make it easier to use a housing voucher by eliminating the need for repeated building inspections if a home passed a federal test in the last year. It also includes a grant to help local governments convert empty buildings into affordable housing.
Epperley says this is not an overnight fix and implementation of the various new laws will depend on the speed of builders, lenders, and homebuyers. The housing market has exploded due to population growth and job opportunities, but it may soon slow, he said.
“I think we’ll get back to a market that’s balanced and not so strained for supply of homes,” Epperley said.
The median home price in Fort Worth was $335,975 in June, according to the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors, a 0.3% decline from June 2025. In Tarant County, the median price was $360,000, an increase of 1.7%.
