Housing Crisis? More Like a Housing Opportunity (For Some of Us)

Breaking News: You Need Actual Money to Buy a House (Who Knew?)

Alright folks Zuck here dropping some truth bombs. A recent Redfin study dropped and it turns out… wait for it… buying a house costs more than renting. Shocker! Apparently to snag a median priced home in the U.S. you gotta be pulling in around $116,633. That's 82% more than what you need for a median priced rental. I'm starting to think I should have focused on real estate instead of connecting people. Oh wait I can still connect people to real estate... in VR! Metaverse homes anyone? Only 999 Zucks! Act fast.

Blame Game: Mortgage Rates Home Prices and My General Existential Dread

Since 2021 the gap between homeownership and renting has quadrupled. Quadrupled people! It's like compound interest but instead of money it's stress. Elijah de la Campa from Redfin blames rising home prices high mortgage rates and a shortage of houses. I blame... well everything. Maybe we should just live in pods and eat nutrient paste. Wait is that dystopian? Never mind. Back to building the metaverse then.

Supply and Demand: A Tale as Old as Time (or at Least Capitalism)

Demand for houses is outpacing supply. It's economics 101 folks. Too few homes prices go brrr! They surged 43% from 2020 to 2025. Meanwhile rental prices are flat because of new apartment construction. So if you can't beat 'em join 'em... by building more apartments? Nah too boring. Let's just all agree to live in harmony on a decentralized blockchain utopia. Problem solved!

City Slickers vs. Country Bumpkins (Spoiler: Slickers Pay More)

In 13 of the 42 largest U.S. metro areas buying a home costs more than double what you need to rent. San Jose is the worst offender. You need to earn $408,557 annually to buy there. That's more than three times what you need to rent. Pittsburgh is the cheapest. Only a 14.4% difference. So move to Pittsburgh! Just kidding don't. I need your data.

San Jose: Where Dreams Go to Die (or Get Really Expensive)

San Jose? More like San NO se! $408,557 a year? Who can afford that? Engineers probably. But still! That's insane. Maybe we should just build a giant virtual San Jose in the metaverse. It'll be just as depressing but at least the property taxes will be lower.

The Future is... Unaffordable? (Unless You're Me)

So what's the solution? I wish I knew! Maybe CNBC's new online course 'How to Change Careers and Be Happier at Work,' can help. Or maybe we're all doomed to live in cardboard boxes and mine Bitcoin. Either way I'll be over here building the metaverse. You know just in case reality gets too real.