> why would direct state construction be single family homes vs multiunit buildings?
You suggested the use of state land as a means to increase supply. If it's an alternative to zoning reform then the zoning still prohibits anything other than single family homes. If you do the zoning reform so that it's possible to build multi-unit buildings then why would you need the relatively modest amount of state land? Anyone could just turn existing private single family homes into multi-unit buildings.
> Even the most extreme market fundamentalist would acknowledge that within the basic principles of supply and demand, flooding the market with a fire sale of the properties currently in the possession of corporate investors would cause prices to go down.
It would cause single family home prices to go down, not rents -- you would be removing units from the rental market because some would be bought by occupants instead of smaller landlords.
It's also not obvious that the home prices would go down much either, because the rents would be going up, which would cause those homes to have a better return than they do now for any investors still eligible to buy them.
And at bottom it just isn't increasing the number of housing units.
You suggested the use of state land as a means to increase supply. If it's an alternative to zoning reform then the zoning still prohibits anything other than single family homes. If you do the zoning reform so that it's possible to build multi-unit buildings then why would you need the relatively modest amount of state land? Anyone could just turn existing private single family homes into multi-unit buildings.
> Even the most extreme market fundamentalist would acknowledge that within the basic principles of supply and demand, flooding the market with a fire sale of the properties currently in the possession of corporate investors would cause prices to go down.
It would cause single family home prices to go down, not rents -- you would be removing units from the rental market because some would be bought by occupants instead of smaller landlords.
It's also not obvious that the home prices would go down much either, because the rents would be going up, which would cause those homes to have a better return than they do now for any investors still eligible to buy them.
And at bottom it just isn't increasing the number of housing units.