[crooked-v]

Talking about "gambling" is entirely missing that there is a genuine and massive housing shortage in literally every major US metro area. https://www.fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/perspectives...

There is no level of banning housing speculation that will ever make prices go down. Housing speculation is only profitable because there aren't enough homes in the first place.

[littlexsparkee]

I read that as more broad - housing as investment; flippers buying properties to upgrade (materially or not) and sell at a premium, removing bottom rungs on housing ladder. i.e. the mindset is an accelerant or maybe even the cause (think back to the roots of restrictive zoning, fear of property devaluation)