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Housing demand. Construction supplies and tariffs. Regulatory hurdles.
Newly installed HBAV President Hans Klinger recently provided valuable insights into those challenges – as well as opportunities facing the home building industry in Virginia.
As an industry veteran with deep personal and professional roots in construction, Klinger, vice president of real estate development for HHHunt, spoke about how he got into the industry, as well as multifaceted issues impacting housing affordability. And he even offered a glimpse into his leadership style. Get to know HBAV’s 2025 President.
Read on, and watch each of Hans’ answers in the sections below. Also see his full interview with us at the bottom of the page.
Hans is sworn in as HBAV’s 2025 President during their Installation Ceremony in January 2025.
Hans and other members of HBAV meet with Senators and Delegates during HBAV’s Day on the Hill.
My entering the home building industry really began as a kid. My dad built our family home, and I was immensely involved with the efforts on that. So any kind of construction activity going on the home, he had me helping him with everything from framing to plumbing to electrical to finished carpentry and concrete work. I was exposed to it at a young age, and that instilled in me a building mentality.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
The biggest hurdles for the home building industry are really multifaceted. It’s hard to put your finger on a single one, as they’re all related. Put another way, it’s sort of the old saying of death-by-a-thousand cuts. Each issue impacts home building to some degree. So materials and supply costs have really increased over the last few years. Labor shortages have really become a front-and-center concern, and government approvals are taking longer than they ever have. But I’d say maybe the single biggest hurdle we have is a supply issue. We’re simply just not building enough homes, and that relates into having lots to build those homes on.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
When you hear about an economic development project that’s going to bring thousands of jobs to the Commonwealth, my first thought is, well, that’s great, but where are these people going to live? In order for Virginia to stay a business friendly state, we have to have places for those people to live when you are creating great opportunities for jobs in the Commonwealth.
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The opportunity we have is to educate the public that the way out of this housing crisis is to build more homes. Sometimes that’ll be in your backyard. So it’s incumbent upon the homeowners and the landowners that are adjacent to these areas to step up and say, “Yes, this is a great development. We need this in our backyard, let’s not oppose it.”
The Home Builders Association of Richmond is gathering data, which last year showed only about half of the building permits issued every year in Richmond were zoned for development. When you’re only supplying half of what you’re consuming, your demand is twice your supply. HBAV is communicating with state legislators to make sure they understand the situation. The state legislature can’t really influence local decisions since this is a local issue, but they can bring awareness to it, and if they can pass legislation, they can help make approvals easier.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as costs that are no more than 30% of a household’s income. When COVID hit in 2020 and then inflation soon followed, housing prices rose much faster than wages and housing became unaffordable for a lot of people. It got worse when mortgage interest rates then rose and even more people were priced out of home ownership. HBAV wants to reverse this trend and bring home prices back down so more people can achieve the American dream of owning their own home.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
When COVID hit in 2020, I remember conversations about how we really needed to pump the brakes because we could be headed into another recession. In reality, the opposite happened. Demand shot through the roof, and we couldn’t step back on the gas pedal fast enough. That inevitably led to ripple effects through the supply chain, and building materials became hard to get – which affected our production schedules and increased costs. Those supply chain shortages, now five years later in 2025, have settled out and are back to normal lead times.
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We’re simply just not finding the talent that we need to build homes, and that further leads to scarcity and increases in pricing. I’ve heard anecdotal stories where kids are choosing not to go to college because they know they make more money in trades and not be saddled with student debt. So the tide is turning, but we have a ways to go to make up that skills gap.
The HBAV Education Foundation was created to grow talent in the Commonwealth. First to create awareness, but also to provide the funding mechanism for students to have the financial capability to get the education they need to enter the plumbing, electrical and carpentry fields that we need for building homes.
I’d also like to make a point that there’s been talk about how AI (artificial intelligence) will replace jobs in the future. It’s going to be a long time before AI replaces the skilled trades. AI is not going to come into your home and fix your leaking sink or install an outlet in your living room. So if you’re looking for a career where you want to have a job in the future, the skill and trades are not going to be easily replaced.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
Through the HBAV Education Foundation, young people are able to learn skilled trades, allowing them to join the workforces that HBAV’s member organizations rely on.
Members of HBAV meet with lawmakers during our 2025 Day on the Hill.
HBAV recently had our Day on the Hill, where we go to the General Assembly and talk with our senators and delegates about the issues that are affecting home building – as well as what can be done to help bring the cost of homeownership down and make the process a lot quicker. We had over 100 members from different associations come to Richmond. I’ve been involved with the Day on the Hill for the last 10 years or so, and I’ve seen a progression over the years that legislators are getting the message that home ownership and home pricing has really become a big issue. More and more legislators are understanding that message and wanting to participate in finding solutions to make that happen.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
There was a time when I tried to do everything, thinking that it was faster for me to do it myself. I’ve evolved into more of a style where I realize that the only way your people can learn how to do something is to set them free. If they fail at it, you just need to support them. The only way they’re going to learn is to fail a few times so they can find the successes. My leadership style has been to give some guidance when it’s necessary, but really let your people develop their own set of leadership skills in successes and failures.
Click here to view Hans’ answer
Fast-forward to any of the 14 topics Hans covers in his wide-ranging interview.
Housing and Virginia’s Economic Future