They keep raising prices, stating that it’s due to inflation, but then they keep having record profits.
Meanwhile, the average American can barely afford rent or food nowadays.
What are we to do? Vote? I have been but that doesn’t seem to do much since I’m just voting for a representative that makes the actual decisions.
On the housing thing - there’s been a major intrusion of private equity firms into the regular house market. A report came out recently claiming as much as 40% of all single family homes sold in 2023 went to private equity firms to turn into rental properties (iirc). On mobile, otherwise would try to actually give you the source.
I can’t speak to the food price increases. My only thought is that most people are creatures of habit and always have been, so I doubt that individual shoppers ‘not putting pressure on the stores’ would explain a historic rise in costs. That said, if we did find evidence that shoppers are less savvy or willing to change habits, my first guess as to why would be people overall being more overworked and stressed. But until the data comes in, who knows.
That report was bs
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/no-wall-street-investors-havent-bought-44-of-homes-this-year/
Numbers don’t add up.
That’s not what that says at all. What it says is that companies that own 100+ properties make up a 3% of the market. You can have a small-ish company that owns 50+ properties that acquires 10 more, and they won’t make that list.
A wealth mom n’ pop investor that buys up ten houses houses to flip–or to drive up rental prices on other properties they have–would still be private equity.
Look at the overall investor share, it was on a downward trend after the crash, and is only up a little. It’s been mostly consistent for over a decade.
If private equity wants to invest in housing, that’s great.
There is no fundamental limit on how much housing we can build.
Uh, yes there is. Infrastructure.
And what is that limit?
Where tf you living that has infinite land and construction material? Because those are the most fundamental limits in how much housing we can build.
Then… What is the limit to how much housing we can put on 1 acre?
Up to 30 homes depending on lot size. Source: