In Maryland we have a state government that has done everything to kill new residential construction in rural and suburbs and force people back into the cities.
We adopted a new energy code that is adding $10 to $20,000 a house.
We have a “best available technology septic system” law that adds $15,000 to $50,000 a house.
We have land development restrictions that are driving up the cost of finished lots.
We have a land use zoning law change that the state pushed through that limits development of farms and is already pushing farms into foreclosure due to lower land valuations.
So when you hear about housing prices going up, don’t think that it’s because a builder or developer is making extra profits - a lot of it is because of extra costs from state regulations.
It sounds like Maryland is implementing a land planner’s dream.
Land Planners want to stop ‘white flight’ and keep people imprisoned in the urban hell-holes. I went to one of their conferences once...wow.
They wanted to tax riding lawn mowers to discourage large lots, they wanted to pay people an annual fee to stay in the city, they wanted to impose platting requirements on large single family tracts....any way they could think of to trap people in the city.
It gets really scary when they want to regulate farmers though...they are quite literally going to get us all killed (starved). If that sounds like hyperbole to anyone, take a look at North Korea or 1950’s China...commies are good at ruining agriculture.