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Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

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Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#221
post #36

In large cities across the US (and probably most of the world), there is some very large scale foreign speculation in the housing market going on. This is leading to rising rents and rising home prices. In Seattle, for example, many (newly) wealthy Chinese people are buying houses purely for investment purposes. I know some of them. One of them has purchased 10 houses, and lives in only one of them (when they are in…

Are you sure that it's foreign buyers? While it has been true in the Vancouver market, I read an article recently mentioning otherwise for Seattle: http://www.sightline.org/2017/07/05/stop-blaming-foreign-hom...

[deleted]

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#222
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mental health is one reason why people are homeless but it's not the only one. The reasons you're bringing up are strawmen at best. The people who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness are not complaining about artisanal food stuffs. In Oakland, a family of 4 has been living in a single family home for 15 years. This year, after new owners purchased the property, the rent went up 100% in one year. Needless to…

"If you want to understand the severity of the situation, I suggest just literally googling "homelessness housing crisis bay area" and read all the both qualitative and quantitive reporting done on the issue." As a resident of the bay area I assure you that I read about this topic every single day - and consume a wide range of reporting and editorial.[1] "... the rent went up 100% in one year. Needless to say, they a…

It's not "housing where one most prefers" in this instance, it's "housing where you're already lived for years, and where your children go to school".

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#223
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mental health is one reason why people are homeless but it's not the only one. The reasons you're bringing up are strawmen at best. The people who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness are not complaining about artisanal food stuffs. In Oakland, a family of 4 has been living in a single family home for 15 years. This year, after new owners purchased the property, the rent went up 100% in one year. Needless to…

"If you want to understand the severity of the situation, I suggest just literally googling "homelessness housing crisis bay area" and read all the both qualitative and quantitive reporting done on the issue." As a resident of the bay area I assure you that I read about this topic every single day - and consume a wide range of reporting and editorial.[1] "... the rent went up 100% in one year. Needless to say, they a…

The notion of "a fundamental right to housing" isn't about "where cool restaurants are." It's a starting point and a framework for how you solve the problem. There are complications that we definitely have to figure out (including where etc) but the conversation always comes back to the strawman of "well it's just not fair to buyers, and those people need to make better economic decisions."

If a person is paying $1000 a month, and sees a 2% increase every year and can afford it, but then can't afford a 100% increase in one year, are you saying they made bad economic decisions? OR that they should have anticipated the housing market to shift so drastically?

Of course not, because, as you said, it is absurd to not consider ones actual economic status.

Wrt to the newly homeless who have been evicted - i think it is convenient to chalk this up to market economics, but the truth is that zoning, housing, and rental laws have created an environment where you are seeing mass displacement of people. You may say "well that's the market" but you might feel different if it was you and yours. It also trivializes the value those people bring to their communities, and the lag effect in economic production their displacement will invariably produce. Longer commutes = less productivity (http://www.cityam.com/265145/heres-just-much-impact-long-com...).

I don't disagree that you need to consider economic status, but in that vein, it's worth considering that housing laws help us define the values we want in a community and sometimes those are not always economic.

At the end of the day, there is pretty conclusive evidence that building more affordable housing is good for cities.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are landlords under some special obligation to make a contribution to the general welfare any more than a plumber is, or a software engineer? That said, surely renting a property that is unaffordable to own by the renter provides social utility though?

Because the community has agreed to honor their exclusive real property claim, even if another person might have made better use of it . Property owners do occasionally have their property seized by the community that it may be used more appropriately to the community's desires. It may be by eminent domain, or civil forfeiture, or adverse possession, or by regulatory taking, or some other means, but it is more likely…

I'm having trouble understanding your comment. The entire principle of private property ownership on which (arguably) our entire civil society and economy is based is that one may use said property as one wishes. It doesn't really matter if another person might have made "better use of it". The only opinion that matters on how the property might best be used is the person who owns it. It's not a community decision, excepting the narrow cases you outlined.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#225
post #36

In large cities across the US (and probably most of the world), there is some very large scale foreign speculation in the housing market going on. This is leading to rising rents and rising home prices. In Seattle, for example, many (newly) wealthy Chinese people are buying houses purely for investment purposes. I know some of them. One of them has purchased 10 houses, and lives in only one of them (when they are in…

This is bad but much more significant is restrictive zoning laws. I live in downtown chicago where rents are reasonable and skyscrapers for living at everywhere. Meanwhile, you gotta move heaven and earth to build high density housing in some cities like SF. Even suburbs will fight 4 story apartment buildings. It's not rocket science. Let the foreigners invest in building more of them. When the crash happens, the loc…

At least in downtown areas, Seattle is infamous for having some of the least restrictive zoning laws in the country. I was advised not to pay any premium for a condo with a nice view, for example, because there is almost no such thing as a "protected view" in the city, unless you're physically situated such that no theoretical future building project could obstruct it.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#226
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What can be done I wonder? The best option would be to build more. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the least popular option.

Building expensive housing is the game right now and they go unpopulated. There is no desire to build affordable housing.

The old expensive housing becomes the new affordable housing. Trickle down real estate works assuming the old real estate isn't destroyed.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#227
post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is distinct from a property tax in that it only measures the value of the soil it sits on, so doesn't punish the landlord for improvements. The value of the land itself is almost entirely outside of the landlord's control, it's determined by the community around it. As a result, this is one of the least distortive taxes. When land value is taxed at a higher rate than property value, it creates a perverse incen…

How have all the economists missed this obvious point? Murder also hurts property values. Fortunately, we have the ability to create laws to punish destructive behavior. Why would a landlord destroy the value of their own property, harming their own ability to draw rent?

In some areas , it is much easier (profitable) to stuff a bunch of people into Section 8 housing, instead of trying to rent to doctors, lawyers, or software developers (i.e. people that can afford attorneys).

I admire the cashflow of trailer parks, and the ease to remove and replace distressed properties.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is bad but much more significant is restrictive zoning laws. I live in downtown chicago where rents are reasonable and skyscrapers for living at everywhere. Meanwhile, you gotta move heaven and earth to build high density housing in some cities like SF. Even suburbs will fight 4 story apartment buildings. It's not rocket science. Let the foreigners invest in building more of them. When the crash happens, the loc…

Do you have a reference for "reasonable" rents in Chicago or can you break that down at all? I'm genuinely curious. Coming from Vancouver where rents compared to salaries are considered beyond insane, what I found on Chicago's craigslist seem to be comparable. That is, accounting for exchange rate but not salaries.

I meant compared to San Francisco and New York.

Then again, canadian salaries are lower and exchange rates are a factor.

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#229
post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is bad but much more significant is restrictive zoning laws. I live in downtown chicago where rents are reasonable and skyscrapers for living at everywhere. Meanwhile, you gotta move heaven and earth to build high density housing in some cities like SF. Even suburbs will fight 4 story apartment buildings. It's not rocket science. Let the foreigners invest in building more of them. When the crash happens, the loc…

At least in downtown areas, Seattle is infamous for having some of the least restrictive zoning laws in the country. I was advised not to pay any premium for a condo with a nice view, for example, because there is almost no such thing as a "protected view" in the city, unless you're physically situated such that no theoretical future building project could obstruct it.

[deleted]

Re: Rising Rents Are Pushing More Tenants Past the Breaking Point

#230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough! Coops acquiring property for renting to citizens when possible Yes, this sounds like a good idea. As a Libertarian, I like this model because it is compatible with private property rights, and doesn't demand some sort of government intervention.

You don't think property coops are at a high risk of acting like current HOAs?

They already do, at least in NYC. That's just part of the deal you sign when you join. If you don't like it, there are a lot of other options, each with their own tradeoffs.
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