Ending Wall Street’s Dominance of the Housing Market

FEATURING CHUCK COLLINS - With just weeks to go before the November 5 election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are crisscrossing the country making speeches and campaign stops. Among the economic issues plaguing voters, housing is close to the top of the list and Harris has unveiled some specific plans such as offering first time home buyers $25,000 in aid toward down payments, and building millions of new housing units. 

A new report by the Institute for Policy Studies called Billionaire Blowback on Housing highlights the worst culprits of the housing crisis, rarely blamed by politicians: billionaire investors who, for years, have been scooping up residential properties simply because they are so flush with cash, and entering the long term rental and short term vacation markets, as well as engaging in real estate speculation. The report also documents how grassroots housing rights and tenant rights groups are fighting back.