In reply to the SacBee article about flipping houses.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/12/3694096/real-estate-scavengers-flip-foreclosed.html

You get what you reward. Reward speculators? Displace families? Not to worry, that is the American way.

Would regulation help? I don't think so, the legislators who authorize regulation are elected on a ticket that government is bad, government is evil. And they are proving it. The regulations would more likely make things worse.

Excess profit tax? What is a fair profit on a home sale? Six percent? The is the going price of real estate services last time I looked. What do you get for that six percent? A salesman that convinces your spouse that your existing house is inadequate. Advertising and staging that might be two percent of the sales price. Advice to take a lower offer instead of waiting for a better price?

Maybe any profit greater than six percent should be considered as income to the school system? Easy enough to game that one.

Too many abuses on the part of government? Or non government? You tell me.

There may be some value added by the speculators stabilizing the excess supply. Last I looked at population pyramids, there are not as many people in the home buying age group to absorb all the houses that are being built. And the counties insist on building even more and zoning even more land for houses.

Who is responsible for making the orderly market? The home buyers? The home buyers that were misled by the rose-colored eyeglasses forecast that population would grow by 17 percent next year?

These houses aren't for living in, these houses are for trading.