The hottest Housing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

What just happened in San Francisco politics?

Noahpinion • 14235 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Election Progressivism Public Safety Housing Education
  1. San Francisco politics saw 'moderate' victories, focusing on results-oriented progressivism over performative leftism.
  2. The election revealed that voters want progressivism with tangible outcomes, emphasizing public safety, education, and housing.
  3. Popular theories include billionaire influence, San Francisco's real progressive nature, and the city's demand for effective governance.

Mass Timber is Great, but It Will Not Solve the Housing Shortage

Construction Physics • 13153 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
💼 Business Construction Housing Costs Canada
  1. Mass timber construction is advantageous for tall buildings due to its fire resistance and carbon sequestration, but it may not significantly increase housing construction volume in the US compared to traditional methods.
  2. While mass timber is praised for its safety and environmental benefits, it faces challenges such as higher initial costs and more complex processing steps, making it less competitive than light-framed wood construction in the US.
  3. Canada's experience with mass timber, despite a supportive ecosystem, shows that residential mass timber construction may not see a significant uptick in the US housing market even with continued growth and cost reduction.

Why Japanese cities are such nice places to live

Noahpinion • 14353 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Urbanism Housing Society
  1. Japanese cities provide affordable living spaces, like tiny apartments, due to lower demand and a culture of building plentiful housing.
  2. Despite small living spaces, Japanese cities excel in dense, mixed-use urban planning, creating the sense of luxury and freedom for residents.
  3. YIMBY policies in American cities aim to allow construction of compact living spaces like those in Japan, but not to force people into them against their will.
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America's Housing Rebound

The Overshoot • 1316 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
💼 Business Housing Real Estate Construction Mortgage Rates Economic Growth
  1. Despite high mortgage rates, construction and renovation spending in the US housing market have been holding steady or accelerating.
  2. Housing sales and construction are greatly impacted by changes in monetary policy and credit availability.
  3. The rebound in house prices and construction reflects the broader growth and asset price acceleration in the US economy post-pandemic.

Against Agglomeration Economies

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 252 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Economics Cities Housing Urban Development
  1. Economists often overemphasize the productivity of cities as the reason for expensive housing, leading to misdiagnoses and biases.
  2. High income gains have been observed in cities that didn't experience significant growth in housing units, challenging the concept of agglomeration economies.
  3. Income disparities among cities have increased over time, with a significant impact from Closed Access displacement, showing the importance of considering factors beyond productivity in city assessments.

Top Links 374 The new armaments boom, how to build places for people to live, Eswanti's ship register & Marx to Darwin

Chartbook • 357 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Housing Evolution
  1. The post highlights topics like the new armaments industry, urban planning, and Eswatini's ship registry.
  2. The Chartbook Newsletter by Adam Tooze offers valuable insights and content on various subjects.
  3. The post includes links to intriguing content, like a piece on Yozo Hamaguchi's art and a paid subscriber section.

The Minneapolis Miracle

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 252 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
💰 Finance Housing Construction Economic Trends
  1. Minneapolis experienced a drop in rents in 2021 and 2022 but the correlation between housing construction and rent trends isn't conclusive. It's important to assess data carefully before drawing conclusions.
  2. Auckland, New Zealand, has visible rent decreases due to effective supply-side reforms, contrasting with Minneapolis where the impact of such reforms is less clear.
  3. The correlation between income, new home construction, and rent inflation post-Great Recession reveals unusual patterns, possibly influenced by mortgage suppression policies, highlighting the need for comprehensive data analysis.

Another Follow-Up Against Agglomeration

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 105 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💰 Finance Economics Housing Income Construction Mortgage
  1. The mortgage crackdown post-2008 led to a housing shortage, impacting construction of single-family homes in different cities.
  2. There is a correlation between the drop in construction activity after 2008 and metro area incomes, where lower income areas experienced a greater decline.
  3. Trends suggest housing constraints may lead to higher incomes, impacting new single-family home construction and mortgage lending standards across different cities.

Housing Roundup #6

thezvi • 1472 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
💰 Finance Housing
  1. The listings will continue until people can afford houses in places they want to live.
  2. Housing costs are rising, but homeownership rates have not drastically declined.
  3. Building more houses where people want to live is crucial for lowering housing costs and increasing supply.

Sunday West 46

Wrong Side of History • 299 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Religion TV shows Housing Literature
  1. The author discusses the rise of new theists and the benefits of religion despite a decline in observance.
  2. Reflections on the TV show 'The Sopranos' and the author's fear of flying are shared.
  3. The newsletter also covers topics like London's housing crisis, diversity statements, conspiracy theories, sobriety culture, and societal changes in France.

Case Study: Template House

Supernuclear • 294 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Community Social justice Housing Rehabilitation
  1. Template House is an intentional community in San Francisco supporting individuals coming out of long-term incarceration.
  2. The community focuses on justice, care, and kinship while emphasizing shared values and deep connections.
  3. Template House aims to transition to a land trust for long-term preservation and is seeking financial support for this transition.

Fear And Anger In The Heart of NIMBY

Cornerstone • 99 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Housing Community Engagement Advocacy Policy
  1. Zoning reform opponents want people to be confused, angry, and fearful, but reform supporters aim to inform people with the belief that information is on their side.
  2. Negative behavior and attacks from opponents persist, making it challenging to engage in positive dialogue and find common ground in housing advocacy.
  3. NIMBYism is driven by a deep fear of change, with opponents believing increased housing density will disrupt their lives, creating a generational and emotional divide in housing debates.

The Relief And Horror That Renting Is More Financially Sound Than Buying

Good Reason • 199 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
💰 Finance Housing Personal Finance Wealth Investing Real Estate
  1. Renting is now more financially sound than buying due to high mortgage rates and home prices.
  2. Renting may save money now, but high rents are still a burden on many, making it hard to save for a home in the future.
  3. The current housing situation reflects negatively on society, with both buying and renting becoming expensive options.

The powerlessness of Michaela Ali

The Mill • 766 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
📰 News Health Housing Inequality Community
  1. Michaela Ali, a pregnant health worker, has been living in hotels due to her rat-infested flat for over a year.
  2. Despite complaints to the housing association, Riverside, Michaela has felt powerless and unmoored in trying to make her living situation habitable.
  3. The experience has left Michaela feeling hopeless and untrusting, highlighting the challenges faced by social housing tenants in getting their living conditions improved.

Has LA cracked the code for building affordable housing?

Urben Field Notes • 84 HN points • 08 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Housing Affordable Housing Housing policy
  1. Los Angeles has a successful program for building middle-income affordable housing without public subsidies.
  2. Building codes can hinder affordable housing construction by adding unnecessary costs and delays.
  3. Existing restrictive housing policies in cities like LA can limit the effectiveness of new affordable housing initiatives.

Next week: debating a $17 billion budget. This week: debating printing costs

City Hall Watcher • 78 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget Health Housing Infrastructure
  1. Toronto City Hall is facing a significant budget battle next week over a $17 billion budget.
  2. Council spent time debating printing costs, travel expenses, bus lanes, and shelters in their recent meetings.
  3. The Toronto Community Housing Board is tackling the issue of overhoused households, aiming to reallocate space for those on the waitlist.

Lawler: Rent Trends at some Large Holders of Multifamily Properties

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 28 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Real Estate Economics Finance Market Analysis Housing
  1. Rent growth has slowed sharply at large holders of multifamily properties like MAA, Equity Residential, and Avalon Bay Communities in the past year.
  2. Despite overall rent growth slowdown, year-over-year growth in rent renewals remained in the 4.5% - 5% range in January, showing a different trend.
  3. There is a lesson to be learned from the 1994-1995 Fed tightening episode where the Federal Reserve raised the policy rate significantly without triggering a recession, providing valuable insights for current monetary policymaking.

The Math of the Housing Crunch

The Sunday Morning Post • 58 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💰 Finance Housing Market Interest Rates Construction Economy
  1. The housing crisis has worsened in recent years due to factors like increased rents and higher home prices, impacting policymakers and individuals alike.
  2. The root of the housing crunch dates back to the Great Recession in 2007, leading to a significant drop in new home construction that never fully recovered.
  3. To ease the housing crunch, there is a need for an increase in the construction of various types of housing units, which has already shown some promise in the rental market.

Toronto Budget 2024 (Olivia's Version) drops next week

City Hall Watcher • 78 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Policy Economy Infrastructure Housing
  1. Toronto City is seeing a trend where a few large corporations dominate the employment landscape, which could lead to political challenges.
  2. Toronto is working on improving housing development timelines and affordable housing projects to address the growing housing crisis.
  3. City Hall in Toronto is considering implementing new measures like a foreign buyer tax, revamping subsidy programs, and investing in dedicated bus lanes to improve transit infrastructure.

Inflation Adjusted House Prices 2.4% Below Peak

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
💰 Finance Real Estate Inflation Affordability Indexes Housing
  1. Real house prices in the US are currently 2.4% below the recent peak, indicating a slight decline in prices adjusted for inflation.
  2. It's important to consider the price-to-rent ratio to understand the affordability of housing markets.
  3. National house prices are historically high after being 10.2% above the bubble peak level, despite the market's ups and downs over 17 years.

Humanity's Housing Future: Five Families to One House With Four Empty Airbnbs In Between

Surviving Tomorrow • 393 implied HN points • 26 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Housing Economics Inequality Homelessness Policy
  1. When working people can't afford to stay alive, society is dead.
  2. House prices are rising due to economic corruptions like inflation, constricted supply, and investor demand.
  3. To fix the broken housing market, democratic inflation-free money, proper supply, and the end of parasitic investor demand are necessary.