“It does have an uncertainty factor, which has historically been difficult to price into a market. And so, we are seeing elevated costs,” said Will Ruder, Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City executive vice president, to Andy Alcock, reporter for KMBC. Ruder was answering Alcock’s question about how much tariffs affect home prices locally.
In the article, Alcock notes that while tariffs can impact the price of items like lumber, Ruder said the bigger problem for home builders is local regulators. “Housing markets in the metro are governed in City Hall as opposed to a state capitol or what the federal government is doing,” he said.
Ruder cited metro area housing permits since 2023. They were down 54 percent in Kansas City, Mo., while the rest of the metro saw a 14 percent increase.
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