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get the government out of the way and people will build to surplus

streamline permitting

knock down ridiculous fees and paperwork

don't try to tax the builder out of business

don't put stupid mandates about forcing builders to sell to demographics the current administration prefers

basically, get out of the way and homes will be built



It sounds like you agree with much of the Harris plan, which includes provisions for streamlining the permit process and reducing red tape.


Eliminating single-family-only zoning and similar restrictions would be an important part of "getting out of the way".


Yeah, how would the federal govt do that? Isn’t that a local govt or state jurisdiction?


Yes indeed it is. The feds would have to find some financial incentive which could strongarm the states into passing laws overriding local zoning ordinances, in the same way that they used the threat of withholding highway funding to coerce states into establishing speed limits and the 21-year minimum drinking age.


That is literally what Harris' plan is about.

But most of the building restrictions are coming conservative older homeowners at the local level. There's only so much Harris can do at the Federal level to reduce state and county bureaucracy.


The supremacy clause exists as does the interstate commerce clause. The existence of HUD is proof the the federal government has the ability and constitutional authority to cut through this red tape when so motivated. That said, I would suspect protracted legal battles, with uncertain outcomes given SCOTUS, around any attempt for the federal government to cut through local zoning regulations.


Any data it is conservative towns? Bay Area is the probably the most liberal yet has very restrictive zoning laws.

It terms of population, liberal towns seem to be the culprit.


This is easier said than done. NIMBYs and other interest groups will intentionally get in the way to ensure homes are not built.


So, we're just going to ignore the very real lumber shortage that's affecting homebuilding? We're also going to ignore the fact that our immigration laws have reduced the labor available to build houses? After all, it's pretty hard to build houses without material and labor.


What in the world are you talking about?

Lumber prices are back to pre-pandemic levels (wholesale).

There's never been a higher amount of immigrant labor available in the US (for construction as well).


Lumber prices are cheaper than they were during their pandemic highs, sure, but they're still roughly double the price of what they were on average pre-pandemic.

While immigration has increased, it hasn't increased at a rate to replace Americans leaving the labor market. Overall, the amount of labor in the United States has decreased. That dramatically impacts labor-intensive industries, such as construction.

So, we're still faced with a high cost of materials and a shortage of labor.




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