Build Back Better Homes

The report argues that the United States housing stock requires significant performance and safety upgrades, particularly for low-income households and communities of color. It proposes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can address the lack of market-ready green investments by scaling existing green mortgage products, potentially creating a $2+ trillion market for green mortgage-backed securities within a decade.

• The majority of housing in the United States requires performance, health, and safety improvements, with the need expected to increase over the next decade due to factors including weather events, energy and climate policy, and shifts in utility models. This need is particularly acute for communities of color and low- to moderate-income households, who often lack access to low-cost financing.
• There is a gap between the high demand from capital markets investors for 'green' securities and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investment options and the availability of market-ready green investments. The mortgage industry is identified as a primary vehicle to bridge this gap and meet consumer demand for green home improvements.
• By streamlining and scaling existing green mortgage products, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could create a new market of more than $2 trillion in green mortgage-backed securities within ten years.

APA

RMI (2021). Build Back Better Homes. https://rmi.org/resources/build-back-better-homes/

Chicago

RMI. Build Back Better Homes. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/build-back-better-homes/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Build Back Better Homes |date=31 March 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/build-back-better-homes/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021build, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Build Back Better Homes}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/build-back-better-homes/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }