The Great American Housing Crisis, Rents Outpacing Wages Nationwide, Over-Supply vs. Buyer Market

1. Wagons East: America Turning Into California
Mike’s Warning: He revives his long-standing warning that “All of America will become California”, meaning bloated bureaucracies, rising crime, homelessness, and sky-high costs.

He attributes this shift to Biden’s administration, suggesting that they want the whole U.S. to adopt California’s failed policies.

He frames it as a deliberate transformation: turning red states blue through migration and policy infection.

2. Rents Outpacing Wages Nationwide
He cites recent headlines (which are often paywalled) that rents across many U.S. cities (Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, etc.) are rising faster than wages.

Specifically, Tampa Bay is highlighted as a hot zone where rents have outpaced wages by 35% between 2019–2023.

He relates this to financial pressure on American renters, especially the working poor and families under $30K/year income.

3. Contradiction: High Rents vs. Low Home Prices
Mike pulls up real estate listings in Florida (Tampa Bay) and shows extremely cheap home prices: $5K–$100K.

His argument: There’s a disconnect between media narratives and market reality. If homes are this cheap, why are people suffering to pay rent?

He suggests Americans should buy instead of rent, scale down, or relocate to places like Tampa.

4. Canada and Australia as Cautionary Tales
Mike compares the U.S. crisis to Canada and Australia, where Chinese money laundering, foreign ownership, and government policy drove prices into the stratosphere.

In Vancouver, houses like “crack shacks” go for $23 million, while “affordable rent” is now $4,200/month.

He warns Americans: If you're shocked now, wait until U.S. cities start mirroring Vancouver or Sydney.

5. Overcrowding & Bed Renting is Coming
He explains how in Canada and Australia, overcrowding has led to extreme housing arrangements: 40–50 people in a single home, bunk beds in living rooms, and even people renting balconies.

He predicts the same "rent-a-bed" crisis is heading to U.S. cities for low-income earners and immigrants.

6. Florida as a Last Bastion of Affordability
Florida avoided a lot of the runaway housing inflation because it restricted Chinese money laundering in 2017 and maintained strong state leadership (DeSantis).

He showcases properties that are cheap, non-HOA, detached, and sometimes even uninsurable but still a better deal than anything in Canada or California.

7. Insurance Costs: A New Pressure Point
Even though homes in Florida are cheap, insurance premiums are rising. Mike calls this a problem — but one that’s still manageable, especially compared to losing $1.5M on a home in Toronto.

His solution: Buy cheap, uninsurable homes and take the loss risk — because “you can make up $69K in your lifetime, but not $2M.”

8. Over-Supply vs. Buyer Market – Media Lies
Mike disputes headlines claiming Texas (Houston) and California are turning into “buyer markets.”

He says home prices are still far above the affordability line — Texas homes should be $227K, not $339K for average earners.

His argument: Media misleads the public by claiming recovery while prices are still inflated.