4 ms·

Please consider joining YIMBY Action, SFHAC, or other pro-housing groups to try to make/keep housing less expensive. https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-p

Please consider joining YIMBY Action, SFHAC, or other pro-housing groups to try to make/keep housing less expensive. https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/ https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/

sverige 10y ago
It may be that one of the things about SF that makes it attractive for OP is that it is expensive. Keeps the riff-raff out. Not that anyone in SF would ever admit that publicly.
- madeofpalk 10y ago
  > Keeps the riff-raff out If you mean keeps the riff-raff out of homes and onto the streets, then yes.
  - kevinburke 10y ago
    70% of SF's homeless had homes in SF before they were on the street, and there's good evidence that high housing prices correlate with high homelessness. Decreasing home prices will probably help with homelessness.
    - brownbat 10y ago
      > ...high housing prices correlate with high homelessness. Decreasing home prices will probably help with homelessness. Nice weather, good infrastructure, funding for city services, and disposable income in the area could be driving both. Pool of affordable housing might provide a better signal for homelessness than median housing costs in an area this expensive. ie, There's probably not a large percentage of marginal homeless in SF, who could afford a $1.03 million home but not the current median $1.15 million home. Either way, average rent is trending slightly downward, and Zillow predicts home prices in SF to fall 0.5% next year, so maybe we'll see. I don't think these marginal shifts, even if magnified 10 times, will really be a substitute for something like housing first or mental health programs. https://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-san-francisco-rent-trends https://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-san-francisco-ren... https://www.zillow.com/san-francisco-ca/home-values/ https://www.zillow.com/san-francisco-ca/home-values/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First
- kevinburke 10y ago
  > It may be that one of the things about SF that makes it attractive for OP is that it is expensive. Keeps the riff-raff out. Not that anyone in SF would ever admit that publicly. This is really inaccurate, and especially discouraging on a message board for "entrepreneurs", who should really be in favor of cheaper housing close to venture capital, so new businesses are more viable. https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/ https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/
  - cjlars 10y ago
    Is housing in tier 1 cities like SF a giffen good (where demand rises with price)? Possibly [1]. That said, it wouldn't be unique to SF if true and wouldn't detract from your other policy points. [1] http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/our_departments/Economics/Econ_docs/research_seminars/2008_research_seminars/Onur-CapitalGainsHousingQuasi-giffenGood.pdf http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/our_departments/Ec...
    - kevinburke 10y ago
      No, it's not. A ton of supply came on the market in 2016 and rents fell 5%.
- jostmey 10y ago
  When I was in downtown San Francisco the streets were lined with homeless people. I had never seen so many homeless people in one area. Maybe there are not so many homeless in other parts of the bay area, but not from what I saw.

sverige 10y ago

It may be that one of the things about SF that makes it attractive for OP is that it is expensive. Keeps the riff-raff out. Not that anyone in SF would ever admit that publicly.

madeofpalk 10y ago
> Keeps the riff-raff out If you mean keeps the riff-raff out of homes and onto the streets, then yes.
- kevinburke 10y ago
  70% of SF's homeless had homes in SF before they were on the street, and there's good evidence that high housing prices correlate with high homelessness. Decreasing home prices will probably help with homelessness.
  - brownbat 10y ago
    > ...high housing prices correlate with high homelessness. Decreasing home prices will probably help with homelessness. Nice weather, good infrastructure, funding for city services, and disposable income in the area could be driving both. Pool of affordable housing might provide a better signal for homelessness than median housing costs in an area this expensive. ie, There's probably not a large percentage of marginal homeless in SF, who could afford a $1.03 million home but not the current median $1.15 million home. Either way, average rent is trending slightly downward, and Zillow predicts home prices in SF to fall 0.5% next year, so maybe we'll see. I don't think these marginal shifts, even if magnified 10 times, will really be a substitute for something like housing first or mental health programs. https://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-san-francisco-rent-trends https://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-san-francisco-ren... https://www.zillow.com/san-francisco-ca/home-values/ https://www.zillow.com/san-francisco-ca/home-values/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First
kevinburke 10y ago
> It may be that one of the things about SF that makes it attractive for OP is that it is expensive. Keeps the riff-raff out. Not that anyone in SF would ever admit that publicly. This is really inaccurate, and especially discouraging on a message board for "entrepreneurs", who should really be in favor of cheaper housing close to venture capital, so new businesses are more viable. https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/ https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/sf-housing-politics/
- cjlars 10y ago
  Is housing in tier 1 cities like SF a giffen good (where demand rises with price)? Possibly [1]. That said, it wouldn't be unique to SF if true and wouldn't detract from your other policy points. [1] http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/our_departments/Economics/Econ_docs/research_seminars/2008_research_seminars/Onur-CapitalGainsHousingQuasi-giffenGood.pdf http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/our_departments/Ec...
  - kevinburke 10y ago
    No, it's not. A ton of supply came on the market in 2016 and rents fell 5%.
jostmey 10y ago
When I was in downtown San Francisco the streets were lined with homeless people. I had never seen so many homeless people in one area. Maybe there are not so many homeless in other parts of the bay area, but not from what I saw.