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Exactly, and I honestly wish there were measures to fine owners that have empty homes as well. Many people would disagree with me, but to me it's not about econ

Exactly, and I honestly wish there were measures to fine owners that have empty homes as well. Many people would disagree with me, but to me it's not about economics. We need a way to fight the idea of hoarding homes, a basic human right, as being an "investment".

hrdwdmrbl 5y ago
If there was enough supply there wouldn't be a problem. No one hoards cars, boats, airplanes or anything else because they think that they can corner the market and raise prices. Housing is only special because not enough is built. It's only possible to "hoard" because every 1 off the market is less for everyone else. A fixed pie. Like bitcoin. If the bitcoin supply was infinite no one would think about collecting them.
- goodpoint 5y ago
  Houses are non-fungible, making the whole comparison absurd. They occupy 3D space in a fixed location. Until we develop Star Trek teleportation I cannot replace my apartment with a cheaper one 1000km away. That's why hoarding real estate is exploitation of people's basic needs.
- Bilal_io 5y ago
  It's easier and cheaper to produce more cars. Boats are irrelevant since they're not a necessity, a house is, a car is in certain cities.houses being already scarce, and hoarding them makes it worse, because it makes them even less affordable.
- dale_glass 5y ago
  You can't have enough supply of housing, because for housing location matters a lot. There's only so much room in the center of the capital, and making more costs a titanic amount of effort. Even that runs out eventually, as you can only build so high. Otherwise, why would we be having a problem? Move to Serbia and buy an apartment for $40K.
  - waqf 5y ago
    Serious question, what should I consider before moving to Serbia and buying an apartment for $40k?
    - Ekaros 5y ago
      Generally location, services and availability of work... Might even have services, but no work... That is for Finland. Like I see 32k€ for 3 bedroom house, with relatively big plot. 2km from "town" center... What explains it is area losing population.
    - dale_glass 5y ago
      Well, just a few things that come to mind: * Speaking the language -- in some places they don't speak much English, and certainly don't do official paperwork in it. * Local laws * Safety * How much stuff you need is going to be nearby * Internet access * Local culture * Employment * Friends and family Like, I don't know much about Serbia (just looked up where housing is cheap), but from what I hear I could get a pretty good deal if I moved to Russia -- they're desperate for tech workers and offering some very good perks regarding mortgages and so on. But on the other hand, is living in Russia that good of a deal right now? I don't think so. They've got a bad government, slow and very restricted internet access, a not terribly pleasant society overall in my impression, and the economy is circling the drain due to all the sanctions.
      - tryauuum 5y ago
        some nitpicking: internet in Russia is very fast and stable. But you are right when you say "restricted". The retarded government tries to ban some websites.
        dale_glass 5y ago
        How fast of a connection can you get? I'm on 1Gbps fiber, and can get 10G/10G fiber for cheap at my home right now, and just finished with the preparations.
kwhitefoot 5y ago
In Norway a kommune (local authority) can institute a boplikt, a duty of residence. This means that if you purchase a house in that area it must become your principal residence.
- tmnvix 5y ago
  So it's not at all possible to rent a home in these places?
  - kwhitefoot 5y ago
    Yes it is possible. But the house is then treated as a business asset which is different from a second home. I don't know the details.
eru 5y ago
Look into land value taxes. I would advise against specifically fining empty homes, because then you have to define what an empty home is; and that will have lots of weird grey areas. That being said: fining/taxing is still better than banning.

hrdwdmrbl 5y ago

If there was enough supply there wouldn't be a problem. No one hoards cars, boats, airplanes or anything else because they think that they can corner the market and raise prices. Housing is only special because not enough is built. It's only possible to "hoard" because every 1 off the market is less for everyone else. A fixed pie. Like bitcoin. If the bitcoin supply was infinite no one would think about collecting them.

goodpoint 5y ago
Houses are non-fungible, making the whole comparison absurd. They occupy 3D space in a fixed location. Until we develop Star Trek teleportation I cannot replace my apartment with a cheaper one 1000km away. That's why hoarding real estate is exploitation of people's basic needs.
Bilal_io 5y ago
It's easier and cheaper to produce more cars. Boats are irrelevant since they're not a necessity, a house is, a car is in certain cities.houses being already scarce, and hoarding them makes it worse, because it makes them even less affordable.
dale_glass 5y ago
You can't have enough supply of housing, because for housing location matters a lot. There's only so much room in the center of the capital, and making more costs a titanic amount of effort. Even that runs out eventually, as you can only build so high. Otherwise, why would we be having a problem? Move to Serbia and buy an apartment for $40K.
- waqf 5y ago
  Serious question, what should I consider before moving to Serbia and buying an apartment for $40k?
  - Ekaros 5y ago
    Generally location, services and availability of work... Might even have services, but no work... That is for Finland. Like I see 32k€ for 3 bedroom house, with relatively big plot. 2km from "town" center... What explains it is area losing population.
  - dale_glass 5y ago
    Well, just a few things that come to mind: * Speaking the language -- in some places they don't speak much English, and certainly don't do official paperwork in it. * Local laws * Safety * How much stuff you need is going to be nearby * Internet access * Local culture * Employment * Friends and family Like, I don't know much about Serbia (just looked up where housing is cheap), but from what I hear I could get a pretty good deal if I moved to Russia -- they're desperate for tech workers and offering some very good perks regarding mortgages and so on. But on the other hand, is living in Russia that good of a deal right now? I don't think so. They've got a bad government, slow and very restricted internet access, a not terribly pleasant society overall in my impression, and the economy is circling the drain due to all the sanctions.
    - tryauuum 5y ago
      some nitpicking: internet in Russia is very fast and stable. But you are right when you say "restricted". The retarded government tries to ban some websites.
      - dale_glass 5y ago
        How fast of a connection can you get? I'm on 1Gbps fiber, and can get 10G/10G fiber for cheap at my home right now, and just finished with the preparations.

kwhitefoot 5y ago

In Norway a kommune (local authority) can institute a boplikt, a duty of residence. This means that if you purchase a house in that area it must become your principal residence.

tmnvix 5y ago
So it's not at all possible to rent a home in these places?
- kwhitefoot 5y ago
  Yes it is possible. But the house is then treated as a business asset which is different from a second home. I don't know the details.

eru 5y ago

Look into land value taxes. I would advise against specifically fining empty homes, because then you have to define what an empty home is; and that will have lots of weird grey areas. That being said: fining/taxing is still better than banning.