A case for making housing cheaper by letting builders build — good news for buyers, bad news for slow-permitting cities.

• The core fix: get government out of the way of home building instead of trying to build homes itself.
• Austin is the example — after prices spiked post-COVID, builders flooded the city with houses and apartments.
• That wave of new supply pushed Austin home prices down about 25% and made housing affordable again.
• Where rules make building slow or costly, housing stays expensive simply because there isn't enough of it.

Outlook: Cities that keep permitting tight will likely stay unaffordable, while fast-building markets keep seeing prices cool.