"Gouging" in this context means raising a price to take advantage of a temporary emergency or people in a desperate situation. I can't imagine how buying a hous

"Gouging" in this context means raising a price to take advantage of a temporary emergency or people in a desperate situation. I can't imagine how buying a house in a particular neighborhood would be an emergency. If people are willing to pay massive amounts of money for property in a given area then that is the market value for that area whether there is a single owner or multiple.