Housing in America is about to get more expensive, thanks to new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that will take effect this Wednesday, October 1.

The new tariffs include a 50 percent tax on imported kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30 percent on upholstered furniture, and 25 percent on heavy trucks used in construction. These will join existing tariffs on steel, aluminum, and lumber, which have been driving up construction costs this year. Back in April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimated that tariffs were adding about $10,900 to the cost of building a typical new home — and that was before the steep August tariffs took effect. No doubt the October ones will only escalate the problem.

Some companies stockpiled materials before the tariffs kicked in, creating a temporary buffer. But those inventories won’t last forever, and the building industry faces a fundamental challenge: Each additional $1,000 in home construction costs prices out more than 115,000 potential home-buying families, according to NAHB.

This all comes at the worst possible time. Housing experts estimate the country needs at least 3.7 million homes to bring down costs and ease the severe housing shortage. More than 770,000 people were officially counted as homeless last year, mortgage rates hover around 6.4 percent, and nearly 75 percent of American households can’t afford a median-priced new home. The affordability crisis touches everyone—from renters competing for scarce apartments to homeowners delaying renovations to builders struggling with supply chain chaos. Now, tariffs are pouring fuel on these already raging fires.

How tariffs hit buyers directly

When Trump slaps a 50 percent tariff on kitchen cabinets from abroad, American importers — not the foreign companies manufacturing the cabinets — pay that tax. They then pass those costs along to........

© Vox