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Switzerland has a home ownership rate that’s half the US and does fine. One of the main benefits of this is that the Swiss have more of their wealth in liquid

Switzerland has a home ownership rate that’s half the US and does fine. One of the main benefits of this is that the Swiss have more of their wealth in liquid assets and are highly mobile as a nation of renters, so they can easily move to where the jobs are. In fact, Switzerland will tax your home on the potential income you could get from it, further encouraging renting. I’m not advocating this, but home ownership is not anywhere near a prerequisite for affluence.

hajile 7y ago
The good old "rent from the rich" idea. Land/housing ownership is what has historically been one of the biggest differences between lord and commoner.
- hylaride 7y ago
  Funny, when I was there I didn’t notice that Switzerland is still run as a feudal lordship, but in hindsight the screams from the building labeled ‘Debtor’s prison” should have been a clue. In all seriousness, what are you implying? That buying houses built by the rich and then being tied to it in a downturn or loss of employment is superior? The period you’re hilariously referring to died out when the Lords could no longer afford to maintain their land as their incomes dried up and their workers moved on.
- cylon13 7y ago
  You're creating a false dichotomy here. Not all home owners are "rich" and not all renters are "poor". Property owners are just running a different business than you. You can easily be a renter that's wealthier than the person you happen to be renting living space from.
  - threatofrain 7y ago
    But how about as a population rather than individuals? Is there a general or random relationship between owning and renting?
chii 7y ago
And because renting being a must for any investment property, the price is rent drops, making it cheap to rent! But then you lose some agency like being able to modify the rented home.

3 ms·

Switzerland has a home ownership rate that’s half the US and does fine. One of the main benefits of this is that the Swiss have more of their wealth in liquid

by hylaride 7y ago

hajile 7y ago
The good old "rent from the rich" idea. Land/housing ownership is what has historically been one of the biggest differences between lord and commoner.
- hylaride 7y ago
  Funny, when I was there I didn’t notice that Switzerland is still run as a feudal lordship, but in hindsight the screams from the building labeled ‘Debtor’s prison” should have been a clue. In all seriousness, what are you implying? That buying houses built by the rich and then being tied to it in a downturn or loss of employment is superior? The period you’re hilariously referring to died out when the Lords could no longer afford to maintain their land as their incomes dried up and their workers moved on.
- cylon13 7y ago
  You're creating a false dichotomy here. Not all home owners are "rich" and not all renters are "poor". Property owners are just running a different business than you. You can easily be a renter that's wealthier than the person you happen to be renting living space from.
  - threatofrain 7y ago
    But how about as a population rather than individuals? Is there a general or random relationship between owning and renting?
chii 7y ago
And because renting being a must for any investment property, the price is rent drops, making it cheap to rent! But then you lose some agency like being able to modify the rented home.