The facts on housing
By Christopher Joye
Posted Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Few issues galvanise public debate as effectively as house prices. It must have something to do with the fact that unlike, say, salaries, houses are both transparent and ubiquitous. No matter where you live, somebody close by always has a bigger and better place. And, for better or worse, that fact is shoved in your face. It may be that much of the emotion and misinformation that accompanies the housing debate can be traced back to comparative justice. For the zealots, the frustrating truth is that the hard facts often do not support the hyperbole that we hear about housing.
To cauterise the “noise” that typically comes hand-in-hand with any discussion about affordability, it is useful to begin by addressing a few facts.
Read the rest here.
