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hitting the news

http://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf

demographia international housing affordability survey

the part causing the buzz (pg 11-12 of the survey)

10 Least Affordable Major Metropolitan Markets:

The 10 least affordable major metropolitan markets are shown in Table 6. Hong Kong had least affordable housing, with a Median Multiple of 17.0. This was the fifth year in a row that Hong Kong was the least affordable.

Vancouver, where housing affordability has been steadily worsening was the second least unaffordable, with a Median Multiple of 10.6. This is Vancouver's worst housing affordability in the years of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey.

Sydney was the third least affordable, with a Median Multiple of 9.8. Sydney also registered its worst housing affordability in the years of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey.

San Francisco and San Jose tied as the fourth least affordable major metropolitan markets, at a Median Multiple of 9.2. Both metropolitan areas are approaching their historic Median Multiple highs, which were reached during the US housing bubble.

Melbourne had the sixth least affordable housing among major metropolitan area markets, with a Median Multiple of 8.7, followed by London (Greater London Authority), at 8.5. San Diego, with a Median Multiple of 8.3 was 8th least affordable, Auckland was 9th least affordable (8.2), and Los Angeles was 10th least affordable.

As in the past, each of seriously unaffordable and severely unaffordable markets was characterized by urban containment regulation. At the same time, the affordable markets are generally characterized by liberal land use regulation, which is associated with greater housing affordability (Table 1, above and Figure 3).