Housing Market Could Surge If Rates Fall, Says Billionaire Jeff Greene

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Real estate billionaire Jeff Greene believes America’s housing market could experience a significant boost if interest rates begin to drop. In a recent interview, Greene offered both cautious optimism and strong warnings, predicting a sharp rise in home prices once borrowing costs fall, while highlighting growing concerns over the country’s economic path.

Greene, a longtime property investor based in Florida, told Business Insider that both buyers and sellers are currently stuck on the sidelines due to high mortgage rates. The average 30-year fixed mortgage remains around 7 percent, a far cry from the under-3 percent levels seen in 2020. That spike has effectively frozen the housing market, with many homeowners unwilling to give up their favorable rates.

“If rates come down, we’ll have a huge boom in housing prices,” Greene said. He believes a rate drop would unlock housing supply as more homeowners become willing to move and refinance.

“People have locked in loans for any number of years into the future, and so they’re not going to give up those houses” until rates are more favorable, he explained.

Limited Inventory

Greene noted that limited inventory is one of the biggest challenges for first-time buyers today. With fewer listings and higher borrowing costs, younger Americans are being squeezed out of the market.

“It’s always been difficult” for young buyers, Greene said, “but it’s particularly hard now when rates are high and there are fewer homes for sale.” He believes that increased supply, once rate cuts arrive, could open the door for many who have been priced out.

The Federal Reserve, led by Chair Jerome Powell, has refrained from cutting rates this year. Powell recently stated that global trade uncertainties, including tariffs, contribute to the central bank’s cautious stance. Since mortgage rates are closely tied to the Federal Reserve’s benchmark rate, any shift in monetary policy would quickly affect housing.

Beyond the property market, Greene voiced alarm about the larger economy. He emphasized that the U.S. has relied heavily on deficit spending, stimulus measures, and artificially low interest rates for growth.

“The economy’s been running on printed money for a long time; it’s not a secret,” Greene said. “We’ve just printed money and given it to people.”

He warned that the country is heading toward a financial reckoning. “We’ve just kicked the can down the road for however many more years,” he said. “You can drive 130 miles an hour down the road and have no accident, but at some point, somebody’s going to pull out in front of you and you’re going to die.”

Greene also criticized efforts to reduce immigration at a time when the population is aging and more people are relying on federal benefits. “Throwing our immigrants out of the country” is a mistake, he said, stressing the need for younger workers.

“We’re kind of in a downward spiral,” he added, referring to the combination of national debt and demographic challenges.

Still, Greene credited President Donald Trump’s economic strategies, particularly the recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” for keeping the economy steady and avoiding disruption. He described Trump as someone who would work out deals to avoid major economic shocks, particularly with tariffs.

Greene’s outlook paints a complex picture: the housing market is poised for a potential boom if conditions change, but the wider economy may be racing toward a point of no return.