On: Priced out of home ownership

[atemerev]

Pff, in Switzerland, the mean age of the first-time home buyer is 48, and the mean age of a homeowner is 58. And those are the luckiest and the richest who could actually afford buying a house; many rent for life.

[elevatedastalt → atemerev]

I am not sure that a tiny country that's smaller than 40 US states is a useful model for what kinds of homeownership can work.

[atemerev → elevatedastalt]

This is not a useful model; in fact, things are quite bad here. I just wanted to say that US homeownership is absolutely exceptional, has no analogues anywhere else, and exists only by means of extensive government support. In most other countries, buying a house in your thirties is absolutely unimaginable.

[elevatedastalt → atemerev]

What age is reasonable? Okay, maybe not 30s. How about 40s? The way we are headed most GenZs are not going to have enough to be able to afford a house in their 40s or even 50s.

[tonfa → atemerev]

Yeah, but renting in Switzerland is fairly advantageous compared to many countries (rent is locked, except interest rate adjustments).