Comment by flave

This just isn’t true - I sort of wish it where.

> If they intend to purchase properties, it benefits them to depress pricing in the area

Yeah, that’s true of everyone but how would a bank/individual do that? By selling… But if they sell while they’re depressing prices, they lose money!

> Normal landlords don't have effectively infinite money with no forces bearing prices down

Neither do banks. They have quarterly earnings, tax bills, they need to buy more stock, cost of capital etc etc.

> It's a very nuanced and complex system in which these institutional investors have very outsized influence.

Just saying ‘it’s complex’ is trivially true. But, supply and demand isn’t some small factor in that calculation - it’s an iron law that exerts itself at all times.

If a bank wants to ‘manipulate prices’ then, without a monopoly, the only way to do that is to dump or buy. But if you buy up homes to ‘push up prices’ … then you end up with a bunch of homes which you paid more than their current value. Not a great business.

The person who has the real unfair advantage in the US happens to also be the most sympathetic person - the owner occupier.