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>Care about our national housing shortage? In nearly every city there exists a small angry mob that works to block every development project, and this job tends

by tbihl 5y ago

>Care about our national housing shortage? In nearly every city there exists a small angry mob that works to block every development project, and this job tends to be loudest and angriest about middle to low income housing and apartments. If you want that to change, the single best thing you can do is show up to local meetings and say “I support this apartment building.” Even better if you can mobilize a few friends. You would be shocked at how little it takes to have a big influence. The flip side of this is that building middle- to low-income housing shouldn't be much of a thing. If there were enough development, the low-to-middle income housing would be the small units with the bad views and the laminate counters and no dishwasher and creaky floors, which is to say the older stuff that wasn't seriously maintained. Constrain supply and new construction enough, and all that stuff is intensely maintained because building new is not an option.

huevosabio 5y ago
> Constrain supply and new construction enough, and all that stuff is intensely maintained because building new is not an option. Anecdotally, from San Francisco, my experience is the opposite. Most units are in terrible conditions, barely painted over. There is no incentive for landlords to put extra money on the place, it will not increase the price at which it will rent. You end up with high income people moving into shitty housing, middle income moving to the outskirts and low income people moving to the streets. Only the landlords win.
- zamfi 5y ago
  > There is no incentive for landlords to put extra money on the place, it will not increase the price at which it will rent. Oh, it definitely will. The well-maintained places rent for astonishingly crazy amounts, which is why most people don’t see them.
  - SamReidHughes 5y ago
    The situation in many apartments in SF has to do with rent control.

by tbihl 5y ago

huevosabio 5y ago

> Constrain supply and new construction enough, and all that stuff is intensely maintained because building new is not an option. Anecdotally, from San Francisco, my experience is the opposite. Most units are in terrible conditions, barely painted over. There is no incentive for landlords to put extra money on the place, it will not increase the price at which it will rent. You end up with high income people moving into shitty housing, middle income moving to the outskirts and low income people moving to the streets. Only the landlords win.

zamfi 5y ago
> There is no incentive for landlords to put extra money on the place, it will not increase the price at which it will rent. Oh, it definitely will. The well-maintained places rent for astonishingly crazy amounts, which is why most people don’t see them.
- SamReidHughes 5y ago
  The situation in many apartments in SF has to do with rent control.