I can't speak for the midwest or south, but in rural California, the problem is the same: housing prices rise because there is no zoning for new houses. There i

I can't speak for the midwest or south, but in rural California, the problem is the same: housing prices rise because there is no zoning for new houses. There is no zoning for new houses, because people don't want their town to change and grow. The carolinas for example: with limits on zoning permits and fees Exactly. If you can't buy a house for less than $100k, then you can be sure it's a problem that can be solved by building more houses (ie, allowing it to happen through zoning and permits).