Roberts: “What will happen when the government guarantees are removed? If interest rates go up, which isn't certain, it will make houses more expensive to finance.”

IRVINE, CA—While Dodd-Frank effectively banned the affordability products responsible for the housing bubble, in the wake of the price collapse, lawmakers struggle with unresolved issues pertaining to mortgage finance, Market InSite Real Estate Advisors' Larry Roberts tells GlobeSt.com. Roberts was recently appointed chief economist of the firm, a data and research firm affiliated with Land Advisors and Landmark Capital Advisors. We spoke with him exclusively about his new role and some of the challenges facing the residential market today.

GlobeSt.com: What are your goals in your new role with Market InSite?

Roberts: When I researched the housing market for my book, The Great Housing Bubble, I discovered a methodology for valuing individual properties as well as entire markets called rental-parity analysis. Building on this analysis, our team developed a report incorporating resale-market and new-home data useful for parties active in the infill market, a segment underserved by existing housing-market studies and data analysis. Our study detailing the project entitlement pipeline down to the local level is unique in the industry, and we also publish studies on recent land sales that track finished-lot values. Our team share the common goal of bringing these tools to homebuilders, developers and financial institutions who need to evaluate their investments in the context of broader market trends.