Why Is No One Buying Houses?

by Patrck Appel

Felix Salmon thinks getting the housing market moving will require more landlords, which will require lower house prices. Adam Ozimek eyes the low-hanging fruit:

One way to encourage more landlords in some areas would be to remove rent controls. Allowing landlords to raise prices increases the value of the investment to them, and thus increases their willingness to pay.  In most places in the country this has gone by the wayside, but according to the most recent American Housing Survey there are still 529,000 housing units subject to rent control. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Salmon searches for other obstacles in the way of landlords.