With the sounds of despair rioting through the streets of Greece, Spain, Ireland and others who no longer have the ability to fund themselves, it is a sign of the times that even the IMF is pushing for improved tax systems relating to land values. The IMF's "What...
BLOG: Speculative vacancies
Housing shortages? Really?
photo credit: looseends Saturday mornings at the Richmond market. I hear a fruit stall worker calling his wares: “Last of the carrots! A dollar a bunch! AND THERE’S NO MORE!” Of course, he has carrots by the boxful under the table, but his solemn warning means he...
Container Homes to the Rescue?
Desperation in the housing market is leading to varied responses. The latest the Age has promoted is the Container Home phenomenon. Miners earning $100,000 have been forced into them in Port Headland and other fast growing mining communities. Now a company is...
Empty Dwellings During Housing Crisis?
Today's Sydney Morning Herald article on Empty Dwellings in a City Desperate for Places to Live has exposed the raft of vacancies prevalent when land banking trumps housing affordability. It quotes how 122,211 sites were vacant in the 2006 census, reminding us of the...
Speculative land rationing our opportunity
Property lobby pushes all the usual red herrings whilst ignoring the speculative causes to affordability pressures. Demographia International’s new report on housing affordability again pushes the “unending sprawl forever” mantra. Report author Wendell Cox rolled out...