Solving America's Problems

Jerremy Alexander Newsome & Dave Conley
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Politics
  • Weekly

America's Opportunities: From Conversation to Candidacy. Solving America's Problems is a weekly podcast that turns real conversations about America's toughest issues into a movement, so the best and brightest serve in government, not chase Wall Street or Silicon Valley. It's for anyone who wants a serious hour on the country's problems without a team jersey. Hosted by Jerremy Alexander Newsome (co-host and candidate) and Dave Conley (co-host and producer). Guests include authors, academics, presidential advisors, activists, CEOs and everyday people with lived experience. Solving America's Problems is about everyone. Topics: the economy and the Fed, housing and homelessness, education and school safety, immigration, AI and work, the national debt. Jerremy is running for office. The movement comes first; the campaign follows. Party: undetermined. Self-funded. No sponsors. No party. Start here: https://solvingamericasproblems.com

  1. 1d ago

    Ben Allgeyer: What Families Facing Foreclosure Should Know (Full)

    The typical first-time buyer is now 40 years old, and foreclosures are climbing again. Ben Allgeyer lost a million dollars in about 18 months and rebuilt by knocking on the doors of homeowners facing foreclosure. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that people who bought in 2019 and 2020 have almost no equity, that a short sale hurts credit far less than a foreclosure, and that one lender added about $60,000 in fees in a year and a half. His rule for buyers: have twice your down payment in the bank first, or keep renting. He says most agents don't earn their commission, and county rules keep $200,000 starter homes from getting built. It ends with a lightning round and the hosts' own debrief. Timestamps: (00:00) The 40-year-old first buyer – Prices ran away from paychecks, and foreclosures are back(01:12) A million gone in 18 months – A partner buyout, a lawsuit and lost value(03:24) Frozen by football ads – Why a 28-year-old with savings keeps waiting(08:13) The fix starts with cash – Stop buying a car with your first check(20:29) Little equity left – Why today's foreclosure sellers walk away with almost nothing(22:04) Foreclosure vs. short sale – A $230,000 payoff on a $130,000 house(28:20) $60,000 in fees – Eighteen months of lender penalties on one house(36:34) Lightning round – Wall Street, bad advice and the two-X rule(39:18) Do agents earn it? – One listing cost a foreclosure two weeks(45:53) The hosts' debrief – Rising foreclosures and why elections hurt housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  2. 2d ago

    Most Real Estate Agents Don't Earn Their Commission

    Institutional funds buy less than 5% of homes, but the belief that Wall Street buys everything still convinces young people they can't afford one. Ben Allgeyer says most real estate agents don't earn their commission, and tells the story of an agent who listed a foreclosure without asking about a $230,000 payoff, costing the owner two weeks he didn't have. His one number for a 25-year-old: two X, twice your down payment in the bank before you buy. He says licensing classes in Missouri and Kansas hand out the test answers and teach nothing about negotiation or marketing. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley close with their own debrief on rising foreclosures, adjustable-rate mortgages and why elections are bad for housing. Timestamps: (00:00) Lightning round – Is Wall Street why young people can't buy?(01:15) The worst buyer advice – It usually comes from real estate agents(02:11) The two-X rule – The cash you need before buying a house(02:59) Do agents earn it? – One listing cost a foreclosure two weeks(06:53) A licensing joke – The class hands out the test answers(07:38) The costliest guru lesson – You haven't earned the right to delegate(09:34) The hosts' debrief – Rising foreclosures and why elections hurt housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  3. 3d ago

    Foreclosures Are Back, and Most Owners Have No Equity Left

    People who bought in 2019 and 2020 are now in foreclosure with almost no equity, and many walk away with $5,000 to $20,000 at most. Ben Allgeyer explains the difference between a foreclosure and a short sale, including one he's negotiating with a $230,000 payoff on a house worth about $130,000. He says one lender's fees added about $60,000 in a year and a half on a $180,000 house. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask what stops a $200,000 starter home in Kansas City, and he points to land costs and county rules that counties have no reason to fix. His advice if you're facing foreclosure: stop hiding and ask for help while you still have options. Timestamps: (00:00) Little equity left – Why today's foreclosure sellers walk away with almost nothing(01:48) Foreclosure vs. short sale – A $230,000 payoff on a $130,000 house(03:19) The $200,000 starter home – What stops builders in Kansas City(06:42) Missouri's new wholesaling law – A 14-day wait before any offer(08:03) $60,000 in fees – Eighteen months of lender penalties on one house(09:00) Facing foreclosure Monday? – Pull your head out of the sand(13:49) Where affordable housing went – County rules stalled his building plans(15:39) "They don't care" – Why counties don't push affordable housing Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  4. 4d ago

    He Lost $1 Million in 18 Months Flipping Houses

    A real estate investor lost a million dollars in about 18 months, starting with a partner he brought on way too early. Ben Allgeyer tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley why a 28-year-old with a good job and savings still won't buy: fear, fed by a season of political ads during football games. If you don't have a pile of cash beyond the down payment, he says, keep renting. He says the fix starts with people learning to keep cash instead of spending their first big check on a car. He also explains where his deals come from now and why he's turning shipping containers into self-storage in a town of 600. Timestamps: (00:00) The 40-year-old first buyer – Prices ran away from paychecks, and foreclosures are back(01:12) A million gone in 18 months – A partner buyout, a lawsuit and lost value(03:24) Frozen by football ads – Why a 28-year-old with savings keeps waiting(04:53) Rent until you're cash-heavy – A $4,000 septic line shows why(08:13) The fix starts with cash – Stop buying a car with your first check(12:40) Where the deals come from – A pay-per-lead partner and a profit split(18:29) Shipping container storage – Up to 160 units on two acres Connect: Ben Allgeyer – Website | Instagram | YouTube 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  5. Oct 1

    Christopher Serkin: Why Zoning Reform Alone Won't Fix Housing (Full)

    Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years, added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin uses that to argue looser zoning alone won't deliver affordability, and that homeowners associations would fill the void if zoning vanished. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley press him on Wall Street, the 2008 crash and whether housing can be both affordable and a good investment. He says it can't. He also explains why the left and right agreeing on zoning makes him nervous, and why a state overriding local control feels different in Tennessee than in California. It ends with a lightning round and the hosts' own debrief. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade(05:09) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently(10:06) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense(18:04) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much(25:40) Not both – Affordable and a good investment can't coexist(46:53) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him(61:35) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  6. Sep 30

    Who Should Decide How Fast Your Neighborhood Changes?

    For roughly the first 85 to 90 years of zoning, the left and right split on it. Now they agree it's the problem. Christopher Serkin says that convergence makes him nervous, and he calls it the liberal-tarian consensus. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask who should decide how fast a neighborhood changes. He says it depends on the market, and that a state overriding local control feels very different in Tennessee than in California or New York. He gets heavy pushback when he asks for government to build housing itself, and he doesn't trust a less regulated market to deliver affordability. Looking twenty years out, he pictures cheaper building costs, more multifamily housing and a move away from the suburban ideal the federal government pushed in the 1930s and 1940s. The lightning round and the hosts' own debrief close it out. Timestamps: (00:00) Who decides? – The question under every zoning fight, asked point blank(01:18) Tennessee versus New York – Why state takeovers of local zoning feel so different(02:24) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him(07:39) Twenty years out – The housing future he wants people to inherit(11:05) Good density, dumb density – A conference line that stuck with him(17:07) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  7. Sep 29

    Housing Can't Be Both Affordable and a Good Investment

    Housing can't be both affordable and a good investment. Christopher Serkin says that tension is the lesson the country forgot after 2008, when so many recent buyers lost everything. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask whether zoning is really the whole story. He says it's one problem among several, and that fixing only zoning could make outcomes worse in many markets. He also argues home prices are one piece of a wider rise in asset prices, a return to capital instead of labor. Jerremy asks whether it's so bad if people rent and put their money in the stock market, and Christopher explains why rent and ownership costs stay linked. Timestamps: (00:00) The two-goal trap – Affordable and a great investment can't both happen(01:22) What 2008 taught – Scholars questioned homeownership as the goal for most people(07:28) A 40% price crash – Would anyone blame zoning reform for it?(08:42) Asset prices everywhere – Stocks, tuition and homes all inflated together(09:59) Is renting so bad? – Jerremy asks if owning is overrated(15:36) The one law – Dave asks what single change he'd make tomorrow 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

  8. Sep 28

    Nashville Approved Every Rezoning Request. Prices Exploded Anyway

    Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years and added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and it is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin says that's why he doubts looser zoning alone delivers affordability. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask what fills the gap if zoning disappears, and he says homeowners associations would, which he calls worse in every dimension. He also tells the story of his mother, a weaver in a Vermont town of 900, who helped the town buy a defunct ski mountain and lock it up with conservation easements. On Wall Street, he says he can't prove how much private equity moves prices, but his phone rang every few days with offers to buy his house. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade(05:08) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently(10:05) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense(15:07) Public zoning or HOAs – What fills the gap if zoning vanishes tomorrow(18:03) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much(21:04) The unsolicited offers – Private equity kept calling to buy his house 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web

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Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

America's Opportunities: From Conversation to Candidacy. Solving America's Problems is a weekly podcast that turns real conversations about America's toughest issues into a movement, so the best and brightest serve in government, not chase Wall Street or Silicon Valley. It's for anyone who wants a serious hour on the country's problems without a team jersey. Hosted by Jerremy Alexander Newsome (co-host and candidate) and Dave Conley (co-host and producer). Guests include authors, academics, presidential advisors, activists, CEOs and everyday people with lived experience. Solving America's Problems is about everyone. Topics: the economy and the Fed, housing and homelessness, education and school safety, immigration, AI and work, the national debt. Jerremy is running for office. The movement comes first; the campaign follows. Party: undetermined. Self-funded. No sponsors. No party. Start here: https://solvingamericasproblems.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jerremy Alexander Newsome & Dave Conley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    291
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Solving Americas Problems LLC
  • Show Website
    Solving America's Problems

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