RE: Converting Europe Into Open Air Museum (Real Estate Mania) .:. Late Night Blogging

You have raised quite a few questions here.
As for studying, it's similar for me. My older son is studying in a big city. We were lucky enough to get him into a dorm where he has a room for €150 a month. If he had to go to a private room, it would be somewhere around €250.
But we live in a small town, let's say medium touristic for Slovenia, there are plenty of rooms available, but they all go through Airb'n'b. And mainly for foreign workers who rent it for extended periods. But there is also a debate here; for example, in the bigger cities, there is a housing shortage, and because it is a left-wing government, they have made it illegal by law to issue rooms on a short-term basis, i.e., through Airbnb or Booking. If that will solve the housing problem, I very much doubt it.
I have a flat, so I do not have to pay rent. My parents and my wife's parents have two old houses, but they need to be maintained, which is a considerable expense. They are not worth selling in a small town, so I don't know what we are going to do with them at the moment—not even enough for a one-bedroom flat in a bigger town.

We were lucky enough to get him into a dorm where he has a room for €150 a month. If he had to go to a private room, it would be somewhere around €250.

€150 a month for a dorm is a fair price... We checked that option too, and believe it or not, dorms are here from 450EUR and up!! It is literally cheaper to rent a room in a private apartment than to rent a room in a dorm... Have no idea why and how it works, but that's insane!

But there is also a debate here; for example, in the bigger cities, there is a housing shortage, and because it is a left-wing government, they have made it illegal by law to issue rooms on a short-term basis, i.e., through Airbnb or Booking. If that will solve the housing problem, I very much doubt it.

Here in Spain, if you want to rent out your apartment, you have to get a tourist license to do so... In some way, that's not bad as some municipalities can STOP issuing these licenses and slow down tourist invasion... That happened to a town that is near my place, and RE prices began to go down slowly... So, maybe that could at least slow down the uptrend... Anyway, renting to students doesn't comply with that law, so they are "spared" from that... But, prices are still high... 😒

My parents and my wife's parents have two old houses, but they need to be maintained, which is a considerable expense. They are not worth selling in a small town, so I don't know what we are going to do with them at the moment—not even enough for a one-bedroom flat in a bigger town.

I think that these, "peaceful", rural, small towns will be appreciated more in the future as more and more people will realize that the quality of living is better... It happens here, where we do live in a small town, and a lot of retired people from Norway and the Netherlands are coming to retire here... To enjoy good weather, a slower pace of living, etc.

We will see what happens...