4 ms·

Those aren't really useful homes then. The housing crisis is more accurately an imbalance of houses-to-jobs in a metro area.

giantg2 5y ago
Remote work can unbound that, at least within a low percentage situation, like under 10% vacant. Not to mention that some companies are moving out of higher cost areas to lower cost ones (like CA to TX).
- resonantjacket5 5y ago
  Lol, and once you build houses in those new regions, I'd assume those neighbors also block new housing from being built near them? Plus there's still plenty of jobs that cannot be done remotely, I feel generally in the tech world people are highly overestimating the amount of remote jobs proportional to the rest of the population. Why the companies are moving from California to Texas is exactly because Texas' local zoning laws aren't as stringent allowing for cheaper housing. The fix really isn't that complicated, it's allow more houses to be built where jobs are demanded. Not quite sure why people always twist and turn justifications for why only 1-story houses should be built.
  - giantg2 5y ago
    "The fix really isn't that complicated, it's allow more houses to be built where jobs are demanded." Or move jobs to areas where housing is cheaper and easier to build. Just allowing more houses to be built doesn't solve it entirely. For example, labor will be more expensive in HCOL areas. "Why the companies are moving from California to Texas is exactly because Texas' local zoning laws aren't as stringent allowing for cheaper housing." Not really, although it might be a secondary component. The main part is taxes and regulation.
    - resonantjacket5 5y ago
      > Just allowing more houses to be built doesn't solve it entirely. For example, labor will be more expensive in HCOL areas. Labor increased cost is really nothing compared to the zoning barring new construction. If labor was truly the barrier then when upzoned no construction would take place. Additionally a large reason why labor is so expensive is from the constrained housing in the first place -- again stemming from the zoning. > Not really, although it might be a secondary component. The main part is taxes and regulation. Zoning is regulation.
      - giantg2 5y ago
        "Zoning is regulation." Business regulation. "If labor was truly the barrier then when upzoned no construction would take place." Not a barrier, but a factor. You seem to be misunderstanding me. It's not that it can't be done in the populated area, but that it's better done in areas not already in a precarious situation. "Additionally a large reason why labor is so expensive is from the constrained housing in the first place -- again stemming from the zoning." So we have circular logic here. If the labor is expensive, you aren't going to make it cheaper (at least short term) by building more houses because the labor cost to build those houses will still be high. They have to pay their existing mortgages.
        resonantjacket5 5y ago
        "Zoning is regulation." > Business regulation. Are you really not aware that when people are mentioning Texas' easy regulation many times they are literally often talking about zoning? > You seem to be misunderstanding me. It's not that it can't be done in the populated area, but that it's better done in areas not already in a precarious situation. No I completely understand you, and find the "too many dense already" line of logic ludicrous. Most of these American cities have zoned over 80% of their land at one story buildings only. American cities are already at the lowest density compared to European or other countries density. They can accommodate plenty of housing fine. > So we have circular logic here. If the labor is expensive, you aren't going to make it cheaper (at least short term) by building more houses because the labor cost to build those houses will still be high. No there is no circular logic here. As I already noted the larger burden of the cost of housing comes from zoning restricting the amount of buildable land. And yes you will need to build lots of housing -- thats what happens one restricts building housing for decades.

giantg2 5y ago

Remote work can unbound that, at least within a low percentage situation, like under 10% vacant. Not to mention that some companies are moving out of higher cost areas to lower cost ones (like CA to TX).

resonantjacket5 5y ago
Lol, and once you build houses in those new regions, I'd assume those neighbors also block new housing from being built near them? Plus there's still plenty of jobs that cannot be done remotely, I feel generally in the tech world people are highly overestimating the amount of remote jobs proportional to the rest of the population. Why the companies are moving from California to Texas is exactly because Texas' local zoning laws aren't as stringent allowing for cheaper housing. The fix really isn't that complicated, it's allow more houses to be built where jobs are demanded. Not quite sure why people always twist and turn justifications for why only 1-story houses should be built.
- giantg2 5y ago
  "The fix really isn't that complicated, it's allow more houses to be built where jobs are demanded." Or move jobs to areas where housing is cheaper and easier to build. Just allowing more houses to be built doesn't solve it entirely. For example, labor will be more expensive in HCOL areas. "Why the companies are moving from California to Texas is exactly because Texas' local zoning laws aren't as stringent allowing for cheaper housing." Not really, although it might be a secondary component. The main part is taxes and regulation.
  - resonantjacket5 5y ago
    > Just allowing more houses to be built doesn't solve it entirely. For example, labor will be more expensive in HCOL areas. Labor increased cost is really nothing compared to the zoning barring new construction. If labor was truly the barrier then when upzoned no construction would take place. Additionally a large reason why labor is so expensive is from the constrained housing in the first place -- again stemming from the zoning. > Not really, although it might be a secondary component. The main part is taxes and regulation. Zoning is regulation.
    - giantg2 5y ago
      "Zoning is regulation." Business regulation. "If labor was truly the barrier then when upzoned no construction would take place." Not a barrier, but a factor. You seem to be misunderstanding me. It's not that it can't be done in the populated area, but that it's better done in areas not already in a precarious situation. "Additionally a large reason why labor is so expensive is from the constrained housing in the first place -- again stemming from the zoning." So we have circular logic here. If the labor is expensive, you aren't going to make it cheaper (at least short term) by building more houses because the labor cost to build those houses will still be high. They have to pay their existing mortgages.
      - resonantjacket5 5y ago
        "Zoning is regulation." > Business regulation. Are you really not aware that when people are mentioning Texas' easy regulation many times they are literally often talking about zoning? > You seem to be misunderstanding me. It's not that it can't be done in the populated area, but that it's better done in areas not already in a precarious situation. No I completely understand you, and find the "too many dense already" line of logic ludicrous. Most of these American cities have zoned over 80% of their land at one story buildings only. American cities are already at the lowest density compared to European or other countries density. They can accommodate plenty of housing fine. > So we have circular logic here. If the labor is expensive, you aren't going to make it cheaper (at least short term) by building more houses because the labor cost to build those houses will still be high. No there is no circular logic here. As I already noted the larger burden of the cost of housing comes from zoning restricting the amount of buildable land. And yes you will need to build lots of housing -- thats what happens one restricts building housing for decades.