A recent report by the Texas A&M Real Estate Center concludes what some already assume: Buying a home in Dallas-Fort Worth has become increasingly unaffordable.

The report says more than 100,000 new jobs were added nationwide last year, but only 30,000 homes were built. According to Texas A&M, the Dallas-Plano-Irving market ranked first in job creation in the state of Texas. That’s putting a big squeeze on the local housing market.

The Dallas Builders Association (DBA) claims a labor shortage is hampering the ability to quickly add new housing to the area.

According to the DBA, Dallas-Fort Worth home builders need an additional 18,000 to 20,000 workers to meet demand. Single-family home starts are only about 40 percent of what they were in 2006, before the recession. Although demand has returned, the construction workers have not. 

Regulations may also be contributing to keeping costs high. The DBA notes that many municipalities in the area are charging illegal fees for new construction. These fees are challenged in court, which further delays building. The legal fees in these challenges ultimately increase the cost to builders.

The cost of materials is another factor. According to the DBA, trade disputes and Canadian lumber duties of up to 24 percent proposed by the Trump Administration could make housing costs go up even further. An increase in material costs would make new homes even less affordable for homebuyers.

As of March, the new home affordability index was 46.7 percent, meaning that fewer than half of the local population can afford to purchase new construction homes.