No, it’s a lot of demand and not enough supply. Plain and simple. No other ulterior motive. Couple that with a historic region of the country that still maintains a lot of draconian laws in regards to building new affordable housing and old zoning laws etc etc etc, and the supply that IS out there is 90% of the time of older quality. Go to Phoenix AZ and $1500 per month apartment gets you a brand new luxury 1 or 2 bedroom with a bidet and your own personal Asian masseuse. In Biddeford, Portland, Westbrook, or any other “affordable” cities in Southern Maine, $1500 gets you a toilet meant for an ass the size of the Keebler Man, heat that doesn’t work, neighbors with missing teeth and a 23 year old non-verbal son, and a homeless guy who sleeps underneath your bedroom window. Lol.