Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Will Expanding the Housing Market Lead to Another Bubble?

    The housing market usually leads the way out of recession, but this time around it's a drag on economic recovery.  So President Obama is going to give it a boost , making it easier for first-time buyers with low credit ratings to qualify for mortgages on new homes.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Jan 16, 2015 • 1 min read

    The housing market usually leads the way out of recession, but this time around it's a drag on economic recovery. So President Obama is going to give it a boost, making it easier for first-time buyers with low credit ratings to qualify for mortgages on new homes.

    Admittedly, it's a modest proposal — $900 in savings for just 250,000 people, when more than $2 million are needed for healthy growth. But critics call it a risky first step toward another sub-prime disaster -- just like the one that started the Great Recession a few years ago.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will Expanding the Housing Market Lead to Another Bubble?
    1. 1:39Police Launch Anti-Terror Raids in Europe
    2. 8:28Will Expanding the Housing Market Lead to Another Bubble?You’re reading this
    3. 42:43Getting Closer and Closer to a Super-Battery
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Stephen Oliner

      American Enterprise Institute

    • KCRW placeholder

      Catherine Reagor

      Arizona Republic

    • KCRW placeholder

      Joe Light

      Wall Street Journal

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will Expanding the Housing Market Lead to Another Bubble?
    1. 1:39Police Launch Anti-Terror Raids in Europe
    2. 8:28Will Expanding the Housing Market Lead to Another Bubble?You’re reading this
    3. 42:43Getting Closer and Closer to a Super-Battery
    Back to To the Point