For those who are new to the musings of Ryder you’ll find him regularly contributing to Property Observer.
Let’s just say he calls a spade a spade and he’s not afraid to wield one (figuratively speaking) when it comes to burying property mistruths and other bulldust.
In his latest column, on the topic of housing affordability, Ryder says it’s an enduring issue “although not nearly as serious as mainstream media would have us believe, especially outside of Sydney”.
Nor does he believe politicians are serious about addressing housing affordability.
“If actions do indeed speak louder than words, then politicians don’t give a damn about housing affordability,” Ryder writes. “Often you’ll see their lips moving, and they appear to care about the cost of housing, but then they’ll take actions that cause costs to rise and affordability to worsen.”
So what actions does he speak of? He’s taking aim at taxes – including foreign buyer surcharges – that housing industry advocates fear will reduce demand for new developments, causing a shortage of supply. And what happens then? Prices go up.
“Rather than seeing foreign investment as being part of the solution (helping to lift the supply of dwellings), they choose to see them as a problem – or perhaps, more correctly, as an unpopular minority to blame without losing votes,” Ryder says.
Once again, you’ve given us food for thought.
