Should the government solve the housing crisis by building large numbers of affordable homes to force the market downward? Perhaps $200,000 homes in an area of 500k homes.

Last Updated: 03.07.2025 00:54

Should the government solve the housing crisis by building large numbers of affordable homes to force the market downward? Perhaps $200,000 homes in an area of 500k homes.

why are people not already building $200,000 homes like crazy?

Answer that, and you'll have a much better idea what the root of the “housing crisis” is.

People want affordable housing. People want to build affordable housing. Yet, it's not happening.

Rogue Trader devs Owlcat are making an Expanse RPG with Mass Effect-style combat - Rock Paper Shotgun

It has the whiff of the right solution: if you want homes to be more affordable, you need more homes.

And not just a single buyer.

What would stop a developer from buying up 10 acres, and constructing 80–160 housing units there?

Single-dose psilocybin therapy shows promise for reducing alcohol consumption - PsyPost

But now ask yourself a far more basic question:

If the government could build homes for $200,000 (which I think you'd have to be rather naïve to think it could build what you think a $200,000 home is)…