The thing is, that there is no real "pure" speculation without the demand.
In Berlin only 1.7% of housing is empty, of which 41% is because of ongoing modernisation, 31% because of renter currently changing and 12% because of mold or other damages.
So only approx. 0.27% of housing is empty in hope of higher prices or because of other reasons. [1]
The demand is real. No living space is created by this policy. Much will not be build because of it.
I would imagine, but obviously can't speak for the parent poster, that if you suggested limiting speculation they could agree on a sensible implementation of that policy.
I have not met anybody so far who thinks wealthy foreigners should be able to use real estate to launder money, store value, hide wealth, or otherwise not use real estate for what it is meant for, that is to say as places for people to live, play, or work.
Since all that does happen, what relevance is it to say you haven't met anyone who supports it? Do you consider yourself the kind of person who should have met such people? Do you move in those circles? Do you meet a disproportionately large amount of people, or people at high levels who influence policy?
How on earth is rent control supposed to help with that? If anything, rent control makes being a landlord less appealing relative to selling to a Russian oligarch.
Price is where supply meets demand. So prices moving up means either:
1. Demand is increasing faster than supply can keep up
2. Supply is shrinking faster than demand falls
For housing in large cities, it's usually (1) above.
Easy money policies stoke artificial demand by making money cheaper (lower interest rates). That makes speculation in housing easier than it otherwise should be. Don't blame "speculators." They are simply responding to conditions created by central banks and the fiat money system.
In Berlin only 1.7% of housing is empty, of which 41% is because of ongoing modernisation, 31% because of renter currently changing and 12% because of mold or other damages.
So only approx. 0.27% of housing is empty in hope of higher prices or because of other reasons. [1]
The demand is real. No living space is created by this policy. Much will not be build because of it.
[1] https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article214572349/Nur-1-7-Pr...