News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by mc32 on Saturday April 16, 2016 @12:47PM (#11511246)
It's not because the buyers are Chinese it's mostly due to the volume of purchases affecting the market so directly. They could be "Newfies" if you had as many driving up prices so dramatically, you'd get an outcry. It happens in the US in Portland you'll occasionally see signs about No Californians.

It doesn't help that many of those are not "regular" Chinese but people with money and connected, the Chinese .1%ers, so to speak, who are buying properties as a pied de terre in the event things go bad in the homeland and they need to hightail it as well as a place to park their connected money.

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by tamana on Saturday April 16, 2016 @12:57PM (#11511279)
They aren't buying houses becuase they might need to live in them. They could rent anywhere easily. They are buying them as investments.
Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by mc32 on Saturday April 16, 2016 @02:06PM (#11511609)
The idea of ownership is more important in Chinese culture so renting is not as attractive, plus ownership affords them a place to park their money away from central govt control.
Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by jessaustin on Saturday April 16, 2016 @01:55PM (#11511561)
In many cases the younger generation changes citizenship. The whole family could leverage that in a pinch.