I asked Google’s Bard to give me some excuses for not investing in real estate. Here are the answers. The point of this exercise was to show that if your plan is to wait with investing in real estate, you could always find reasons to wait indefinitely.
Sure, here are some reasons not to invest in real estate for each of the past 100 years, not in tabular form:
- 1929: The stock market crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, which had a significant impact on the real estate market.
- 1930: The Great Depression continued to have a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 1937: The Great Depression ended, but the real estate market remained weak.
- 1941: World War II began, and the real estate market was disrupted.
- 1945: World War II ended, and there was a post-war housing shortage.
- 1953: The Korean War began, and the real estate market was disrupted.
- 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis caused some uncertainty in the real estate market.
- 1969: The Vietnam War began, and the real estate market was disrupted.
- 1973: The oil crisis caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 1974: The recession continued to have a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 1979: Inflation was high, which made it more expensive to own real estate.
- 1981: A recession began, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 1987: The stock market crash caused some uncertainty in the real estate market.
- 1990: The Gulf War began, and the real estate market was disrupted.
- 1991: The Gulf War ended, but the real estate market remained weak.
- 1997: The Asian financial crisis caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 2000: The dot-com bubble burst, which caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 2001: The September 11 terrorist attacks caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 2004: The real estate market in some countries experienced a slump.
- 2008: The financial crisis caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 2011: The European debt crisis caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
- 2016: The Brexit vote caused some uncertainty in the real estate market.
- 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a recession, which had a negative impact on the real estate market.
As you can see, there have been many reasons not to invest in real estate over the past 100 years. However, despite all of these challenges, real estate prices have continued to rise in most markets. This is because real estate is a long-term investment, and the short-term fluctuations in the market are typically not indicative of the long-term trend.
Of course, there is no guarantee that real estate prices will continue to rise in the future. However, if you are looking for a long-term investment that can provide you with both financial and lifestyle benefits, real estate is still a viable option.
It is important to do your research and understand the risks involved in investing in real estate before you make any decisions. However, if you are willing to take the time to learn about the market and invest wisely, real estate can be a rewarding investment.