15 years ago I rented an apartment, in the US, for $250 a month.

That sounds like a violation of the separation of church and state!

Housing should not be an investment. They didn't lose anything except speculated value which comes at the cost of locking others out from the ability to own their own home. In fact, those morons who care so much about "muh investment" are also costing themselves through higher property taxes and ridiculous house prices they'd have to face if they ever have to move.

There are quite a few people who say they wouldn't be able to afford the house they have now if they had to finance it at today's prices and interest rates. How can they realize the capital gains on such an "investment" if they don't own more than one home? They still have to live somewhere.

I get why they would lose money, but in my head it's still like you still have a home still so why should they care.

Everyone now owns wherever they are living. Current owner residents get reimbursed via taxes for their current equity over a period of time. People and government win, corporations take losses on investments and probably come out ahead anyway.

Obviously an oversimplified idea, but I think we should be asking "How can we make this happen?" more often than dismissing outright.