[refurb]

Since the government controls the supplies of HDBs, it controls the price inflation.

So it would be more accurate to say “housing prices are inflationary because the government wants them to be”.

Yet this introduces a ton of new problems as well. In order to keep them “good investments” it becomes ever increasing prices with ever increasing rebates to help lower income afford them.

But eventually prices will stop going up.

[com2kid]

All housing stock is controlled by governments everywhere through zoning.

American cities could solve their housing shortages in short order but it'd piss off too many people who are "invested' in housing so we accept dead bodies in our streets and social instability instead.

[everforward]

> American cities could solve their housing shortages in short order but it'd piss off too many people who are "invested' in housing so we accept dead bodies in our streets and social instability instead.

I agree with you about fixing the housing market, but I think you underestimate the instability caused by changing housing prices rapidly.

If housing prices drop by something like 25%, a lot of people are going to be upside down on their loans (outstanding principal exceeds the value of the asset). The banks now have mortgages that aren’t fully secured anymore, and borrowers are heavily incentivized to allow a foreclosure unless they’ve paid down the principal by a lot.

We’re talking the 08 recession all over again.