I live in central Phoenix. Anybody that walks a dog in their neighborhood knows which homes are rentals and which are occupied by owners. Many, many rentals are owned by LLCs and are often vacant.
There isn't a housing supply problem. There is a housing affordability problem. As long as we allow corporations to dominate the market and price families out, no amount of increased supply will solve this.
The homebuilders and their allies at the Legislature consistently message that municipal growth planning, including zoning, must be trashed to address the housing shortage but they won't take on problems that don't benefit the public and help cause the shortage (along with higher material and labor costs): proliferation of short-term rentals that take properties out of the inventory of permanent housing, speculation of recently rezoned land that results in higher prices of homes once eventually built after one or more flips of vacant land, and purchases of new and existing homes by corporate investors who can outbid first-time homebuyers by offering very favorable terms to sellers. Bills on those problems are not getting hearings thanks to the development industry's clout.
Builders never have and never will want to build "affordable" housing. They're in it for the $$$ and they always will be. All this back and forth is just noise.
I bought a starter home in 2000, back when houses were being slapped together in a matter of weeks, and first-time homeowners like myself were begging the Registrar of Contractors to stop giving developers carte blanch to sell homes held together by masking tape. Our front door literally fell off its hinges a month after we moved in, and we were stuck paying for the repairs. And that was one of MANY issues. Do these lawmakers really think that if they take away rules on building materials that developers won't throw up cardboard homes, then sell them as "affordable luxury" if given the chance?
We recently had a lot behind our home redeveloped. The neighbors were fine with smaller starter homes. We preferred it since it's a neighborhood of ranch-style homes. It was the builder who insisted on constructing ugly McMansions because they could get more money for two-story homes that tower over the neighborhood. They also cut down more than a dozen mature trees along the fence line and replaced zero of them. Developers aren't going to build affordable homes without a mandate. Sad that some Dems have been hoodwinked into believing zoning rules are the only reason houses are unaffordable.
All of the comments I’ve read have been everyday experience of people in their neighborhoods. What lawmakers are forgetting or setting aside (also forgetting who votes) the full time residents. Corporate overlords who make contributions don’t vote. I was in Real Estate and Development for 35 years. It’s changed with my retirement but when we were doing a development in an area we went door to door. Talked to neighbors, worked with the city and listened so NIMBY didn’t shut down the work we’d done. STR changed the entire landscape of affordable housing. There will be none when entire communities are now build for rent only. Listen to Pete Seegers “Ticky tacky houses”. Is that what first time home buyers want? It’s not easy but regulating STR will bring down prices of existing homes right away. Then do the hard work.
I live in central Phoenix. Anybody that walks a dog in their neighborhood knows which homes are rentals and which are occupied by owners. Many, many rentals are owned by LLCs and are often vacant.
There isn't a housing supply problem. There is a housing affordability problem. As long as we allow corporations to dominate the market and price families out, no amount of increased supply will solve this.
Great job, well explained and balanced!
The homebuilders and their allies at the Legislature consistently message that municipal growth planning, including zoning, must be trashed to address the housing shortage but they won't take on problems that don't benefit the public and help cause the shortage (along with higher material and labor costs): proliferation of short-term rentals that take properties out of the inventory of permanent housing, speculation of recently rezoned land that results in higher prices of homes once eventually built after one or more flips of vacant land, and purchases of new and existing homes by corporate investors who can outbid first-time homebuyers by offering very favorable terms to sellers. Bills on those problems are not getting hearings thanks to the development industry's clout.
Builders never have and never will want to build "affordable" housing. They're in it for the $$$ and they always will be. All this back and forth is just noise.
I bought a starter home in 2000, back when houses were being slapped together in a matter of weeks, and first-time homeowners like myself were begging the Registrar of Contractors to stop giving developers carte blanch to sell homes held together by masking tape. Our front door literally fell off its hinges a month after we moved in, and we were stuck paying for the repairs. And that was one of MANY issues. Do these lawmakers really think that if they take away rules on building materials that developers won't throw up cardboard homes, then sell them as "affordable luxury" if given the chance?
We recently had a lot behind our home redeveloped. The neighbors were fine with smaller starter homes. We preferred it since it's a neighborhood of ranch-style homes. It was the builder who insisted on constructing ugly McMansions because they could get more money for two-story homes that tower over the neighborhood. They also cut down more than a dozen mature trees along the fence line and replaced zero of them. Developers aren't going to build affordable homes without a mandate. Sad that some Dems have been hoodwinked into believing zoning rules are the only reason houses are unaffordable.
All of the comments I’ve read have been everyday experience of people in their neighborhoods. What lawmakers are forgetting or setting aside (also forgetting who votes) the full time residents. Corporate overlords who make contributions don’t vote. I was in Real Estate and Development for 35 years. It’s changed with my retirement but when we were doing a development in an area we went door to door. Talked to neighbors, worked with the city and listened so NIMBY didn’t shut down the work we’d done. STR changed the entire landscape of affordable housing. There will be none when entire communities are now build for rent only. Listen to Pete Seegers “Ticky tacky houses”. Is that what first time home buyers want? It’s not easy but regulating STR will bring down prices of existing homes right away. Then do the hard work.