What’s the rumor?

Off-site landlords don’t sound that great either!

Were they planning to be landlords or wait to sell for more money later? Just curious.

Apartments are not just for lower income lol. Don’t get me wrong no one should be too poor for adequate housing but that’s a different consideration. Not that middle class people are doing so well with housing either.

Suburbs are inefficient and unsustainable. I do get that many people like them, not criticizing your taste. Dense housing is the only feasible option I see for the future.

In Vermont I’m not even sure what counts as suburbs, though. What’s a suburb of middlebury (wheee the author lives)? Weybridge?

What a loss! That sounds like exactly the kind of development to benefit everyone. Super curious why the developer backed out.

So they function as tax shelters while the investors wait to sell at a profit?

Why would there be intentional underdevelopment?

I mean.. the quest for profit is directly responsible for the present housing crisis, no? Surely you don’t think there’s too much rent control and not enough profiteering.

I get that, but they don’t seem to be selling? There was this big rush to buy when interest rates were low (which wouldn’t even matter to big-time investors) but not to resell? What is the point of sitting on the empty properties?

Totally agree with this. Very frustrating.

What are the investments? Why hoard the houses rather than flip, rent, whatever?

This is really good insight, thanks for sharing. Do you object to multi-unit dwellings generally or just the aesthetics of the ones that have been built? They seem like a logical option for people who don’t want a big house (elderly, young).

I’ve never seen a beautiful suburb myself, even when the houses are pretty. Not being a snob at all. It’s just a really inefficient allocation of space.

Hedge funds, private equity, investment banks - why all the mystery? Rhetorical, I just wish government gave a single shit about anything other than their endless fundraising.

Weird that they’re not even renting them out, that would have been my guess. Also weird that no one seems quite sure who is buying up all these houses and why. Who is making all-cash offers all of a sudden if not institutional investors? Thanks for the links.

What is the internet company doing with the homes? +60% is insane.

Well he lost me at the bobolinks. Does anyone have experience with act 250 that they’re willing to share? Of course vt needs more housing but every argument for repealing 250 seems grotesque (e.g. suburbs).

Do you imagine that housing is affordable elsewhere? Housing is a national crisis and it’s only getting worse. I agree with you that STRs are only part of the problem and a convenient scapegoat, but so are your imaginary rich chuds from “elsewhere.” You know very well that plenty of Vermonters are just scraping by - this is absolutely a political decision and there is no reason to live like this.