It’ll a big problem for our future.

Do you know what is it? Yes, that’s it: housing. Probably, you have read a lot of articles and heard opinions and claims, but do we deserve this situation? Why haven’t we reacted before? Why haven’t government done anything? Why has media treated only Malaya Case and not real questions? Why are we so slept? Somehow or other, there are too many questions.

In this country, people seem to have more interest on frivolities than real problems. This recent boom has been used by many to make a lot of money. There were previous prosperity periods for this sector but this is probably the worst for the borrowers because they have to pay a mortgage for more than thirty years for a modest flat. Houses are overvalued, and everybody knows that, but real state agents, politicians, construction companies have seen in this sector the hen of golden eggs to take advantage of the necessity of the youth and the greed of the rest of investors. The situation was ideal: accommodation for the last baby-boom generation, the big arrival of emigrants, low interest rates, lack of state investment in subsidized-housing (probably on purpose of increase the economic growth) and probably others but important. As citizens, not as housing experts, we knew these factors and now the situation is quite fragile.

For a big part of young (and not so young) people with precarious salaries and working conditions, it’s impossible to buy a house. It’s quite ironic, if we remember when we people spoke about “mileuristas” (people who earn more or less 1.000 euros a month) and we complaint about this situation. Now, the situation is worst because the housing prices are so high and it’s impossible to pay a flat with those salaries and temporary contracts (for mortgages). I know people with progressive mortgages that they are only paying interests. And besides, the low inflation doesn’t allow reducing the real quotes in the following years. So, a lot of people have to delay life plans again (because they started to work lately) although you have the option of hoping good luck in state houses (which is a pure lottery) or renting. But this is another abuse: here in Spain we have paying more to rent a flat than in Germany, France or United Kingdom when they have much bigger salaries and better working conditions!! And more: these wages can’t permit to save money so as to buy a house. But the problem is similar in other countries, like Ireland, UK or USA.

The historical situation in the American Housing Market.

We are really exploited by older generations, socially. There hasn’t had intergenerational solidarity while Government has done nothing really important (only the law for the soil’s control). And, what solutions can we suggest? I don’t know if it can be important or not if you think lefty, conservative or anarchist while you have this problem but I think the solution is to demand state investment in housing (because a house is mainly a right not a business) and a control of renting that permits rational prices.

Source: Sociedad de Tasación S.A.

I think it’s time to claim rights because the next elections. Whereas the political discussion has been centred on 11M, ETA (the Basque terrorist group), homosexual weddings, the new subject (Education for citizenship) or others, this transcendental topic has been left away from our politician’s speeches (probably it's a very hot potato in their political agendas). I don’t want to remove importance to these affairs but I think they’ve been used to create in some way as a curtain of smoke.

Anyway, if you have something to say and solutions (overall), please write a comment.

Thanks to everybody.