Ask HN: Coming urban housing price crash?

2 points by com2kid 6y ago ↗ HN

With many tech companies realizing that their expensive urban tech offices are not really needed, what are the community's thoughts on the impact of the housing market in major tech hubs?

Thinking about the house I have right now, it's value is mostly from it's proximity to major tech employers (15 minute commute from 2 major companies), and I'm thinking over what to do now. Is selling now and wait to rebuy during a coming crash a winning move? Or will companies not migrate en-masse to permanent WFH?

Would even a 10% transition to WFH have a significant impact on housing prices? (FWIW I'm in the Seattle area where Amazon and Microsoft prop up much of the housing market.)

1 comment

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drunkpotato 6y ago ↗

Unfortunately I don't think anyone has a crystal ball on this. In the last housing crash, for example, while properties did devalue in some areas of the country, in my city they simply stayed flat for several years. So selling and attempting to buy cheap would not have been a winning move. My advice on buying property is to do it either because you want a home, or you want a rental property for supplemental income. Trying to time or out-smart the housing market is like playing roulette, you might win, but it's more chance than skill.