• BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca
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    21 hours ago

    You’re right that this is a rock and a hard place. Which is why I don’t expect it to change anytime soon. What needs to happen is that home ownership rates need to drop, meaning more voters will be renters, then they will have the political clout to push through policies that make things more affordable for them by destroying home values for the now minority of owners.

    I give it about 30 years or so before we see that.

    • benignintervention@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      I disagree here. Rent is a siphon for your money to go to the wealthy landowners, just like these rising housing prices siphon more of your money to banks.

      Unless you’re saying that renters have more political leverage? Which I’m also not sure I agree with. It’s easier to evict a renter than an owner. I think we need more affordable housing, which depends on building accessible homes, controlling outrageous rent, and addressing zoning laws, but all of this depends on a strong economy for those goods and a surplus of jobs that pay enough. Systemic reform of zoning laws and lobbying is where change is

      • BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca
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        18 hours ago

        I do mean renters will have more leverage once home ownership rates drop.

        We will never build enough homes to drop housing prices to affordable levels. Prices can’t just stop growing, they have to actually drop, and developers will run away from projects the moment prices start declining. We’ve already seen a slowdown in construction in the last year as home prices stagnated.