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by omgitsabird 1546 days ago
> If you nationalize housing and hold prices low, then there will be supply shortages where some folks will not be able to get housing who would happily pay your price.

If you nationalize housing, wouldn't you also subsidize supply?

3 comments

While that'd be able to guarantee housing on an "a home exists for every person in the country" level, it pretty often means sending people away from economically-healthy areas (which should have plenty of housing competition / are or will be built to capacity, because they're healthy). Subsidized housing in those areas is more expensive by far for someone, regardless of how it's done.

Hence the wait-lists even where it exists; people want to live where they can be near what they need (be that work, medical, family, etc), not literally anywhere. The "literally anywhere" tradeoff may be worse than homelessness, or at least perceived to be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_goods_in_the_Soviet_U...

The short answer is: No, in a command economy, what happens is whatever the politicos demand.

Does not seem to be true based on all the waiting lists and shortages of government funded housing in the US.
Assume a well funded program. Everyone gets a home at an affordable rate, and homes are built in anticipation of need.
Why would you assume that? I would assume a program funded by Congress, and therefore a political football.