Oh, we've got problems of that sort in Atlanta, too (at a different price scale than SF, of course). There's an enormous spread between mortgages and rent at th

Oh, we've got problems of that sort in Atlanta, too (at a different price scale than SF, of course). There's an enormous spread between mortgages and rent at the moment; so many fewer people qualify for mortgages after the housing crash due to tougher underwriting standards and a return to traditional down-payment requirements that many, many more people are forced to rent. That has pushed rents way up. But for those who qualify, buying has never been cheaper. Needless to say, they pocket the difference, and it's an extreme landlord's market. They've got their pick of tenants and getting a place inside the Perimeter with anything less than impeccable credit is hard. Median rent in Midtown Atlanta, where I last lived, is pushing north of $2000, which for Atlanta is a _princely_ sum considering it's ... well, it's Atlanta. It's not Brooklyn or Chicago. If I'm going to pay that much, I want Brooklyn or Chicago.