Could your next house come out of a hose?
US start-up company ‘Icon’ has begun building 3D-printed homes in developing countries. The company says it can ‘print’ such a home in 24 hours for about US$4000.
3D printers are gaining in sophistication it seems.
Everybody thinks this is going to revolutionize housing and help create ‘affordable homes’. Homes will become so cheap that we’ll be able to build them anywhere, any time. On-demand.
Not likely.
All this tells you more about the world’s economic ignorance than what it does about our building ability.
This labor saving device – 3D printers printing houses – will simply push land values higher. This is the fundamental law of Economic Rent. It is this ‘Rent’ that always takes society’s economic and social gains, eventually.
It’s why you still work as many hours as your parents and grandparents even.
And why both you and your partner have to work now to buy the house you want. Or even rent something together.
In fact the 3D devices may well start a ‘land-rush’ in areas where such houses can be built – cheaply.
All rather ironic really.
If you really want to make homes permanently affordable – and good quality too – it’s time for a citizen’s dividend. Funded from the Rent.
It’s absolutely vital you understand this.
If you haven’t already downloaded your free e-book about just this topic, ‘Your Citizen’s Dividend’, you can do that HERE.
Best wishes
Phil Anderson
and your Property Sharemarket Economics team.