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289 sats \ 9 replies \ @Undisciplined 6 Jul \ on: Explain this chart: Why Are Homes in Western States So Expensive? charts_and_numbers
Artificial scarcity is the main driver. The western states have most of their land locked up in National Parks and Forests, so new land can’t be developed in the areas with highest demand.
Natural scarcity is a factor too. The west has more land that isn’t suitable for development due to the terrain.
Remoteness plays a role as well. Shipping costs are higher to some of these places and it’s hard to get skilled craftsmen out.
My last thought is that a disproportionate amount of demand is from rich people wanting a place with lots of natural beauty.
Artificial scarcity is the main driver.
I agree with this, but think it's more because of nimbyism than it is from national parks/forests. The West is huge. Like really mind bogglingly huge. There's no lack of land.
Even Seattle, which was built at like the most narrow strip of land between a lake and the sound, still has a larger footprint than a city like Paris ( Paris: ~40 sq miles, Seattle ~80 sq miles). The ground is there for building.
But a lot of western counties (which also happen to be long time Democrat-run counties) put up so much red tape to building that it's painfully slow and expensive.
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You're right that nimbyism is a big problem in the west, but the feds control the majority of land in many of these states, which pushes everyone into the same handful of metro areas, rather than the many small towns you see in the rest of the country.
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the people who complain about nimbyism are more likely to be guilty of it
another example of projection
I love nimbyism: out of my backyard and frontyard
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the people who complain about nimbyism are more likely to be guilty of it
What is this based on? It doesn't match my experience at all and it certainly doesn't apply to me.
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California residents who live in metro areas near the beach and complain about nimby on Reddit
I think I found my error
edit: regarding disproportionate number of rich people bidding up housing prices, reminds me of the line from tv show 30 Rock: this merger has to succeed, there are vacation homes at stake!
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You forgot the mention how much bigger homes have gotten and all the modern amenities that come with a home.
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Wouldn't this also affect the East? Sure maybe homes there are older in general, but I suspect new home starts in the South or East are greater than the West (new homes are presumably larger, have more modern amenities).
Here are new single family home starts in 2023 by region:
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A regional or national study is interesting but practically useless because all housing is local
No realtor or builder is going to read or cite this article because it is n/a, not applicable
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Bureau of Land Management
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