US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes

Re:US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-fami... by tshaddox on Wednesday January 07, 2026 @06:33PM (#46534805)

> People assume that renting out property is rent-seeking literally only because they both have the word rent in them.

It's not a coincidence that they have the same word in them. It's literally just the same word with the same definition and etymology in both cases. Rent is a payment demanded by property owners from people who want to make productive use of that property.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-fami... by Plasmoid on Wednesday January 07, 2026 @06:39PM (#46534866)

But rent-seeking isn't renting. They're different terms that don't have anything to do with each anymore.

> Rent-seeking is the act of growing one's existing wealth by manipulating public policy or economic conditions without creating new wealth. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking)

This definition doesn't overlap with renting.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-fami... by tshaddox on Wednesday January 07, 2026 @08:18PM (#46535784)

The term has been generalized in economics to refer to more cases than just rent paid to live on or farm a piece of land.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-fami... by kiba on Wednesday January 07, 2026 @07:19PM (#46535280)

I blame econonists for reusing the same word to mean different things.

[ Parent | on HN ]