Why is it democracy? Maybe it's treating housing like an asset? Why do people treat houses like financial instruments? I think it's a combination of the cost,

Why is it democracy? Maybe it's treating housing like an asset? Why do people treat houses like financial instruments? I think it's a combination of the cost, dual functionality, and devaluation of money. When something costs a significant amount of your labor over your lifetime, you want to make sure it does a little more than keep you dry. If all it does is keep you dry you could live in a tent. If you're looking for a place to invest capital, and you need a place to live, why not have that serve both purposes? And finally, if you want to save your capital, sticking cash on a shoebox or a checking account simply won't do, it will lose purchasing power. I think these all have the same solution. Houses are expensive because they grow in nominal terms while our labor does not. People who want to invest can't afford that and a home at the same time and so have to use their home for both. And devaluation of money... I think the solution to the housing crisis we are in is simply money that cannot be devalued.