Will DOGE Disrupt Real Estate And Bring It Onchain?
Real estate has long been ripe for blockchain modernization, but past efforts faced skepticism and regulatory inertia. Now, with the Trump administration and its newly chartered Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) exploring blockchain solutions, the opportunity to streamline real estate transactions is finally within reach. After all, if there's one thing President Trump knows, it's real estate—he built a global brand around it, made billions in the industry, and etched his name on skylines around the world.
Like Uber and Airbnb, which had to navigate a maze of regulatory hurdles but ultimately reshaped their industries to benefit consumers, blockchain has the potential to transform real estate—if regulators are open to it. With clear policies in place, blockchain can cut unnecessary fees, reduce fraud, and make homeownership more accessible, modernizing one of the last major industries still weighed down by outdated processes.
Major shifts are already unfolding in the mortgage sector, where under the leadership of FHFA Director Bill Pulte, shake-ups at Freddie Mac have led to a wave of senior departures. These moves, driven by efforts to modernize the housing finance system, signal the demand for disruption in the mortgage space—creating a possible opening for onchain, crypto-native solutions to take hold.
DOGE and the Push for Efficiency
At a White House Crypto Summit reception, and the Milken Institute Digital Summit in DC, I participated in, the focus of my conversations was on digital transformation and housing affordability, with blockchain-based real estate transactions discussed as a potential policy solution. Policymakers gave serious thought to the ways leveraging blockchain for transactions can reduce closing costs like title reviews, transaction affiliated fees, to cut down on the expenses of buying a home - $30bn spent by consumers every year.
While a seemingly benign conversation, this signals a major shift in the U.S. government's stance on crypto. Under previous administrations, blockchain and crypto projects were met with skepticism, treated primarily as a regulatory challenge rather than an opportunity for economic efficiency.
But now, with Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leading an effort to streamline government inefficiencies, policymakers are no longer asking, 'Why blockchain?' but rather, 'How soon can we implement it?' Rather than stifling blockchain innovation, the government is exploring how it can be leveraged to streamline bureaucracy and cut costs—a move that could set the stage for a new era of blockchain-backed government efficiency.
A System Rife with Fraud Is Ripe For Reform
Despite being a key pillar of the U.S. economy, and playing a major role in GDP growth, the Real Estate industry lags far behind other sectors when it comes to infrastructure. The way property records are stored and managed in the U.S. is shockingly outdated. Right now, more than 3,000 counties each maintain their own separate property databases, using a patchwork of digital and paper-based systems. There is no unified process of secure digital closing, nor a national registry, and many local governments still rely on physical deeds and outdated non-secure databases to track homeownership. This fragmented system creates inefficiencies, increases costs, and opens the door to fraud.
The FBI has reported an alarming rise in real estate fraud, with criminals exploiting old infrastructure to forge property records, steal identities, and intercept wire transfers. AI-driven fraud is making these schemes more sophisticated and harder to detect, as scammers use false identities and automated phishing techniques to infiltrate transactions.
Beyond fraud, this outdated infrastructure directly contributes to the high cost of real estate transactions. For instance, title insurance—one of the biggest closing costs for buyers—exists primarily because of the inefficiencies in verifying and transferring ownership. Buyers are forced to pay thousands of dollars during a transaction and fraud can still happen —a problem that wouldn't exist if ownership records were stored immutably on a blockchain, and transferred via smart contracts.
Blockchain can provide a single, tamper-proof ledger that records property ownership with 100% accuracy, replacing thousands of fragmented, vulnerable data points. Ownership transfers can be automated and executed in real time via smart contracts, eliminating the need for costly verification processes. With an onchain system, fraud would become virtually impossible, as records could not be altered or forged without detection.
This is not just a technical upgrade—it's a necessity. With real estate fraud escalating, transaction costs remaining artificially high, and inefficiencies making homeownership more difficult, the need for reform is urgent. The DOGE agency's prioritization of government efficiency and fraud prevention makes blockchain-backed property records and smart contract-based settlements more viable than ever before. If Washington embraces this shift, we could finally see a nationwide move toward real estate transactions that are faster, safer, and more affordable for everyone. It would turn real estate into a liquid financial asset.
The Future of Home Buying
A modernized real estate system doesn't just benefit governments or financial institutions—it empowers consumers. Today's homebuyers expect convenience, transparency, and digital efficiency, but the industry is still held back by 20th-century processes. Despite studies that millennials and Gen Z overwhelmingly prefer both real estate and cryptocurrency as investment assets, the market hasn't adjusted to meet their expectations for expedient digital transactions, forcing them to navigate outdated processes, excessive fees, and unnecessary bureaucracy.
Just as DOGE aims to bring efficiency to government operations, it can set the stage for faster, more affordable, more accessible real estate transactions. If policymakers embrace blockchain for property records and smart contract settlements, homebuying could become as seamless as any other digital transaction, and even more secure.
With DOGE exploring blockchain solutions and a real estate mogul in the White House, it's not hard to imagine a future where deeds are replaced with digital tokens.
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