They Paved Paradise to Put Up a Parking Lot

All over Pennsylvania, there is a push for developing land in order to build more houses. In some newspapers, there is even a loud cry that there are not enough starter home prices including an opinion that it is more costly to save farms versus building developments for that farmland. These are two separate arguments but seem to share one goal that is to build more houses. It is hard to know who is speaking the truth. They frame their stories on comments from the very people who have a financial stake in building. Most pro building comments come from the companies with a vested interest in developing land and building residential properties. The usual suspects? The Building Industry and the Board of Realtors.

You will see various pro building newspaper articles in the commonwealth. The reporters in most cases seem to reach out for quotes from builders, politicians and realtors. They of course will be proponents of building more instead of less because it benefits their pockets.

Builders need land to build to stay in business. There is not enough business in home improvements to satisfy builder’s needs to make money at the pace they have grown accustomed in this low interest rate era. Builders need lots to build new homes. Realtors have a stake in builders continuing to build at a fast pace. Realtors make commissions and even newspapers gain advertising dollars from those realtors and builders marketing these projects.

It has always been about the money. Just follow these stories and the money will take you to a full menu of the recipients who benefit from building. Even school districts have an insatiable appetite for the new tax revenue. You see their spending everywhere. There are new schools being built and planned with associated buildings relating to all sorts of activities including sports. When, I was in school we had one nun teach us with persuasive discipline. We had no air conditioning. No modern technology to even dream about. Computers or Calculators? Forget about it you had pencil and paper. However many of us survived and were able to move on to higher education. Today there are new spectacular taxpayer schools all over the state.

When land is purchased to develop there are many businesses in line is long to receive financial benefits. From the land planners to attorneys (always attorneys) including companies who stage the infrastructure work, plus township/government fees, the school districts, developer profits, builder profits, realtor commissions and advertising/newspapers. The hands out to receive this income is endless.

When you are in the real estate business, you make as much money as you can (in the good times) and worry about the consequences later. It seems like on a daily basis we are bombarded with developing and building issues. The powers that fuel these endeavors are relentless in pushing their agenda.

At some point the building boom slow and we will never see that land again.