[hytdstd]

> The primary aim of NIMBY is to lower density because less supply=higher prices

I don't think this is actually true. If you spend enough time on Nextdoor and read what nimby's complain about, the chief concerns are traffic, parking, and congestion (after crime and safety). Obviously, there are nimby's who are concerned with their property values, but the average 75 year old nimby isn't interested in selling/moving their property.

[kmeisthax]

Lowering supply is an instrumental goal[0], not a final goal.

If you hate traffic, want more parking, or the like; the easiest way to do that is to just stop building housing, throw up your hands, and say the city's full.

But because doing that also makes your own property more valuable, both complaints are intermingled: people who want more money in their pocket can concern-troll about traffic to sound prosocial. In fact, this commingling has happened for so long that it is difficult to separate out the two concerns.

[0] AI ethicist jargon for "prerequisite you have to do to accomplish a lot of disparate or conflicting goals".

[hytdstd]

I don't really have any evidence for this, but I always imagined the nimby's who care most about property values would concern-troll about housing projects being "affordable", or their "environmental impact".

[modeless]

You don't need to be selling immediately to be interested in property values. HELOCs are popular, refinancing is popular, and there's the estate to think about. People may not explicitly say "I'm propping up my property value", but actions speak louder than words.

[dougmwne]

Exactly, and plenty of people like the ego boost of an unrealized gain going up and up, even if they plan to never realize it. The homeowners I know only talk about their property values every chance they get and every other breath.