{"podcast":{"title":"Housing Matters Podcast","slug":"housing-matters-podcast-7058173","podcast_index_feed_id":7058173,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/housingmatters/feed.xml","website_url":"https://housingmatters.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/19615879/HOUSING_matters_podcast_logo_2500_x_2500_px__zygnmc.jpg","author":"Matt Pouliot","episode_count":38,"summary":"Housing Matters is a podcast dedicated to discussing the importance of housing and development in our State. Hosted by Matt Pouliot of Pouliot Real Estate, the podcast aims to educate and inform the public about the significance of housing initiatives, the intricacies of development, and how individuals can secure their dream homes. Through engaging conversations and expert insights, we aim to: ° Advocate for the importance of housing initiatives in fostering thriving communities ° Educate the public about the complexities of real estate development and its impact on local economies ° Empower individuals with knowledge and resources to navigate the housing market effectively ° Spark meaningful discussions on topics ranging from affordable housing solutions to the legal and regulatory challenges facing developers ° Cultivate a deeper understanding of the intricate connections between housing, quality of life, and economic opportunity","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T06:19:25.723960+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173"},"episode":{"title":"38. Harvard Law, McKinsey, and the Rules That Make Maine Housing Expensive with Aaron Chadbourne","slug":"38-harvard-law-mckinsey-and-the-rules-that-make-maine-housing-expensive-with-aaron-chadbourne","published_at":"2026-07-29T16:10:16+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/38-harvard-law-mckinsey-and-the-rules-that-make-maine-housing-expensive-with-aaron-chadbourne","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173","url":"https://housingmatters.podbean.com/e/38-harvard-law-mckinsey-and-the-rules-that-make-maine-housing-expensive-with-aaron-chadbourne/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/npxnc3kxq3hkinn7/aaronchadbourne.mp3","summary":"Aaron Chadbourne got his real estate license the day after he graduated from high school. He sold his first house at 18 and took out his first mortgage before most people finish their freshman year of college. Then he went off and collected three degrees from Harvard, worked at McKinsey, and served as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Paul LePage. And then he came home to run the brokerage his mother built. I have been looking forward to this conversation for a long time, and it did not disappoint. Aaron is the Designated Broker and owner of Demetria Real Estate in Greater Portland, and he was just named 2026 REALTOR® of the Year by the Greater Portland Board of REALTORS®. What makes him interesting is not the resume. It is that he can look at a housing problem from the policy side, the capital side, and the kitchen table side all at once, and he does not pull punches about what he sees. We spent most of this episode on a question I think about constantly: why is it so hard to build housing in Maine? Aaron's answer is that it is not lumber and it is not labor. It is the rulebook. There are more than 9,000 jurisdictions writing their own housing rules across this country, and Maine has its own version of that patchwork. I share a story from a property I was on that same day where a three unit building needed three separate septic tanks, even though the whole thing has five bedrooms and the 200 year old farmhouse down the road with five bedrooms gets by on one tank. Aaron walks through the sprinkler ordinance in Gorham, the roof pitch requirements that quietly ban manufactured housing even after the state legalized it, and the shoreland zoning question he still cannot get a straight yes or no answer on for his own camp. We also get into the first time homebuyer number th…","meta_description":"Aaron Chadbourne got his real estate license the day after he graduated from high school. He sold his first house at 18 and took out his first mortgage be…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3831,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/episodes/38-harvard-law-mckinsey-and-the-rules-that-make-maine-housing-expensive-with-aaron-chadbourne/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/housing-matters-podcast-7058173/38-harvard-law-mckinsey-and-the-rules-that-make-maine-housing-expensive-with-aaron-chadbourne.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}