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Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

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Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dear SF, More apartments built are the only thing to make housing more affordable for normal people. But, when you think of them, you're thinking way too small. You need to think in terms of, like, literally doubling the number of apartments available, and they may then be in reach of normal people once more. You also need to get yourself together and reverse that trend where your transit system has carried fewer peo…

So, the infrastructure can handle double its current utilization? Aren’t the sewers in SF literally over a century old? No issues with adequate water supply and sewage treatment?

I think the implication is that you also enhance the infrastructure to support these apartments. Note that the population of SF increases by about 20% during the workday due to commuters.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#162
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No but when figuring out what informs a price you want to look at supply and demand first . There’s room for other variables, but you normally start there. EDIT: While I’m inside the edit window, let me throw in another big variable as an example. Costs are another factor that inform a price, and a big one. You could make a case that it deserves higher billing than supply and demand, but if your costs are $X but you…

But property supply itself is a constrained effect of politics and the relative power of various social groups, not a unique and independent primary cause. If landlords can make a killing by constraining supply politically, they will. So the primary cause is the incentive system and the political environment which makes it possible for them to do that. It's all about how the reward functions are designed. So of cours…

Political factors can also inform supply, it doesn’t change the fundamental calculus of supply and demand, merely shapes the supply.

If you have a bunch of left wing groups who are anti-development fighting to keep supply constrained even while complaining the rent is too damn high and the character of the City is changing and yadda yadda yadda, who are you[1], as a landlord, to take the wind out of their sails when you are profiting from their protests?

[1] The general “you”, not you specifically.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#163
post #82
post #3

> the weighted average asking rent for an apartment in the city, which currently measures around 2.3 bedrooms when counting a studio as having one, has dropped to $3,100 a month. Still too high. Was checking into apartment prices earlier in the year and it is amazing the number of landlords that will try and sell you on a “kitchen” that is a mini-fridge, tiny sink, microwave and a hot plate whilst still charging you…

Those landlords don't try to sell that small kitchen, they DO sell that small kitchen. When I was shopping for an apartment in SF 2 years ago there was no spot that did not have at least 2 other parties looking at it. There was no room for negotiation or to even take a day to think it over, if you walked away from it, there were 2 people right behind you to take it.

Then they don't sell the kitchen per se, they're selling a very in-demand housing unit. People take it in spite of its kitchen, not because of its kitchen.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dear SF, More apartments built are the only thing to make housing more affordable for normal people. But, when you think of them, you're thinking way too small. You need to think in terms of, like, literally doubling the number of apartments available, and they may then be in reach of normal people once more. You also need to get yourself together and reverse that trend where your transit system has carried fewer peo…

So, the infrastructure can handle double its current utilization? Aren’t the sewers in SF literally over a century old? No issues with adequate water supply and sewage treatment?

Well, here's the thing: pipes can be built. Big pipes can replace small pipes. Plant capacity can be upgraded. Shocking, I know, but it's true.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#165
post #39
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? Vancouver’s prices are still rising. Foreign investment is demand. A rise in demand is much more impactful if supply is static.

> Foreign investment is demand. demand for investing in the limited supply of apartments based on their profitability is not the same thing as demand for the actual product of housing, which is what supply and demand in the housing market is supposed to be about - you're basically proving the point that incentives here are perverse

No? If you build new housing units it doesn’t matter if outsiders buy them. There will be more units to satisfy demand, both foreign and local.

And buying a unit to rent it does not change the housing supply. It is new people moving to a city that fills up supply. Is that what you meant by profitability: buying an apartment to rent? Every city has landlords.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#166
post #40

If the city would rezone all of the single family homes into higher density buildings, this wouldn't be a problem. Flood the area with supply and the cost will go down to reasonable levels. This is a problem all across the nation. Everyone wants a single family home, so this leads to two things: outrageously high costs of homes, or people moving out to the suburbs and thus worsening the rush hour traffic and smog iss…

I live in a rural area, so I'm no expert...but how do you weigh the value of private property of San Fransiscans vs. the communal good of more apartment units? Surely you wouldn't "knock down" old houses, or would you? Just curious as to your thoughts.

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dear SF, More apartments built are the only thing to make housing more affordable for normal people. But, when you think of them, you're thinking way too small. You need to think in terms of, like, literally doubling the number of apartments available, and they may then be in reach of normal people once more. You also need to get yourself together and reverse that trend where your transit system has carried fewer peo…

So, the infrastructure can handle double its current utilization? Aren’t the sewers in SF literally over a century old? No issues with adequate water supply and sewage treatment?

Truly a failed state

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What should we do robbyt?

Taxing unoccupied homes and apartments will fix things real fast.

If the problem is developers making a bunch of apartments and releasing them slowly, wouldn't such a tax just mean they'd switch to a strategy of making them slowly to get the same effect?

Re: Average Rent in San Francisco Has Dropped $1k This Year

#170
post #54

Don't ask, Don't get. Everyone I know who has asked for a discount has got the discount. After several months of the pandemic, and noticing the adjacent apartment being relisted by my landlord at a discount I emailed my landlord and asked if I could have my rent adjusted by the same discount. They said yes, if I committed to another years lease. Saving 5% of rent, at the cost of a one year commitment didn't seem like…

I am in bay area, but my apartment complex refused to readjust rent to reflect the drop in rent (2500$ to 1800$!). I decided to break the lease and move to a better area.

Great on you! To complete the math, what was the "break" penalty and how much did your new rent save you? These economics are fascinating, SF is crazy.
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