Re:The $3500 Shirt – A History Lesson in Economics
by kimdouglasmason on Sunday January 25, 2015 @06:05PM
(#8944627)
Even better, once house prices stop outpacing wages and the average Joe realizes, we'll be in the situation where it is much cheaper to rent than buy, and stuff the difference into an index fund, which will yield much better than housing capital gains.
At that point, you're looking at long term house price declines which only stop when buying becomes cheaper than renting.
The next 30 years are not going to look like the previous 30 in the west. However, consumer goods will keep getting cheaper.
Even more importantly, mortgage holders and other large institutions have a vested interested in raising property values and will guarantee that polices drive that.
Obviously housing prices can't outpace wages forever so one generation, probably the current one, is going to be screwed with houses that can't raise enough in value and yet have no real retirement security.