In this article, the authors consider the role of one of the subsystems of infrastructure -the residential real estate sector. The relevance of this topic lies in the plane of the fact that the state and prospects for the development of residential real estate must be viewed through the prism of the economic system, the main element of which is a person. It is a person with his potential that determines and sets the vector of development of the economic system.The state of human potential is determined, inter alia, by the quality of its life, the main criterion of which is housing security. That is, the affordability of housing can be considered one of the significant characteristics of the quality of life. The imbalance in the elements of housing infrastructure and a decrease in their quality can lead to an imbalance in the system and even to its destruction. The article presents an empirical analysis of the state of the housing stock of the Russian Federation. Based on the data obtained, problems were identified and conclusions were drawn on such an indicator as the housing affordability coefficient and recommendations were made on further development of the industry.