Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford wants to ban “out-of-state corporations” from buying homes here.
California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna wants a nationwide ban on private equity firms buying single-family homes.
On X, Ford posted: “It’s simple: we’re going to limit out of state corporations from buying up our homes and pricing hardworking families out of their neighborhoods.”
Khanna added: “My bill, the Stop Wall Street Landlords Act, will prevent private equity from buying up single-family homes.”
Their talking points sound noble.
But dig even an inch deep, and it’s clear these are political stunts that do nothing to fix Nevada’s housing problems – while trampling on core American freedoms.
Feel-Good Politics, Bad Economics
Ford and Khanna are selling a “villain” story: evil Wall Street is gobbling up homes and kicking families to the curb.
It’s a convenient scapegoat, especially in an election cycle.
But housing policy should be based on facts, not Facebook memes.
Corporate buyers make up a fraction of the housing market, and banning them won’t magically lower prices.
What it will do is give the government new power to tell you who you can and can’t sell your property to.
That’s not just bad policy – it’s dangerous.
Property Rights Are Not Optional
In America, the right to sell what you own is a bedrock freedom. Ford’s proposal kicks that principle to the curb.
If the state can decide that you can’t sell to a company from Arizona or New York, what stops them from telling you you can’t sell to someone from California? Or to someone who doesn’t meet their idea of a “good” buyer?
Once politicians get to pick the winners and losers in real estate, it’s not your property anymore – it’s theirs.
Khanna and Ford claim they want to “protect families.” In reality, their plans would make life harder for many working-class renters.
Why? Because when investors are blocked from buying homes, those homes don’t turn into rental properties.
That means fewer places to rent, which drives up prices for everyone still looking.
Supply down, rent up. It’s not complicated.
Blaming Wall Street for a Washington Problem
Here’s what Ford and Khanna won’t admit:
The real driver of high housing costs isn’t “out-of-state corporations.” It’s bad government policy – especially the Federal Reserve’s sky-high interest rates.
Higher rates mean fewer people can qualify for mortgages. That keeps buyers stuck renting and locks sellers out of the market.
Ford and Khanna’s cure ignores the disease.
In Clark County, a New York hedge fund became the largest homeowner. Prices went up – and so did property values for everyone living nearby.
These investors often take rundown homes, fix them, and improve entire neighborhoods.
That doesn’t hurt communities. It stabilizes them.
But Ford and Khanna would rather chase off investment capital than admit that private money can sometimes do more good than another government program.
The Real Barrier: Red Tape
The National Association of Home Builders says local zoning laws and land-use rules are the real choke points in housing supply.
In Nevada, you can wait years for permits while costs pile up.
If Ford was serious about helping families, he’d be cutting red tape and speeding up construction.
Instead, he’s chasing headlines with anti-business soundbites.
Ford and Khanna’s proposals are political theater dressed up as housing reform.
They strip away property rights, shrink the rental market, and ignore the real problems driving prices through the roof.
Nevadans don’t need more government meddling in real estate.
They need policies that unleash builders, protect freedom, and grow supply – not laws that tell homeowners who they can sell to and renters where they can live.
When politicians like Ford and Khanna start deciding who gets to buy a home, ordinary people end up paying the price – in higher rents, fewer choices, and less freedom.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
