[WarOnPrivacy]

> Part of the problem is that the lower end of potential inventory (pod apartments/SRO/etc) are essentially illegal in this country. So the barriers to entry make it seem much more inelastic.

This is true. A decade ago this area was among the cheapest in the nation but now is solidly in the expensive category.

In between were moratorium on apartment construction (the last non-premium housing still being built) and a sudden influx of CA & NY sized dollars. The never-stopping, double digit, yearly insurance increases - that just levels it all up.