the jap lesson of the 90s are on record for all to learn from. but young couples expecting kids are desperate to get homes beyond their means even with rising mortgage rates. i'm seeing that happening in germany and the u.s. where both economies are running at full steam. the old and retired refuse to sell hoping to build more equity on their (cheaper) homes as they bought them decades ago on freehold land. the crunch: demand outstrips supply by huge ratios as builders find it hard to get cheap land in desirable areas and build fast enough. only sg as a developed nation is doing it right on housing, thanks to the pap.