Housing and Regulation

Housing and Regulation June 21, 2010

There seems to be an underlying assumption that the US would be better off if more people rented and fewer people owned dwellings.  Often folks point to places like Europe where it isn’t unusual for the middle class to rent their dwellings.  Many people will point to economic incentives like the mortgage interest deduction while neglecting to note that price to rent ratios already indicated a significant discount for renters for comparable properties.  The magic factor that makes renting in Europe more attractive than renting in the US is regulation favorable to renters.  But a recent study by a George Mason university economics hack claimed that it was unenlightened to think that housing regulations could do anything but add cost.  A conundrum.


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