Comment by Aurornis
2 days ago
> The tariffs are a bit of a new phenomenon so I think that may be motivated reasoning. Construction productivity has also been stagnant for about 60 years.
If construction was stagnant for 60 years, adding 10-50% tariffs on lumber and building materials would only make it worse. Not motivated reasoning, just basic economics.
The new tariffs went into effect January 1st, by the way. If you thought things were bad now, they're about to get worse.
This announcement is just another distraction. They want you mad at Wall St, not tariffs.
> In the same vein, it’s technically feasible for automobiles to be built for just a few thousand dollars,
No it's not.
If this was true you'd see it in some other countries. It's not happening anywhere in the world. Unless you redefine automobile to mean a tiny cart with a 5HP motor and some seats.
> If this was true you'd see it in some other countries
The closest thing you have are Japanese Kei cars - you can get a brand-new Suzuki Alto for $6,600 before sales tax, but it would not pass crash US safety standards, it's built for slow city streets of Japan and not highway driving.
The claim they went into effect January 1 simply does not seem true.
The finished products tariff was delayed: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/01/business/trump-furniture-... For unfinished lumber, I don't think there was any tariff going into effect January 1.
Sure, these tariffs may further increase the house of prices (e.g. be relevant to 15% of the cost of the house, with tariffs ranging from 20% to 50% and sources of materials adjusting to these tariffs), but the say 4% future effect of these tariffs is likely less than the effect of zoning laws, other development restrictions, and rent freezing.