Premise: The world is in an extreme housing crisis, where only 10% of people own homes. Some live with their parents in a home purchased decades ago, while others live in their cars or tents. Among the 10% that do own homes, it’s common to own over a dozen different properties, which are left empty for most of the year as they rapidly increase in value.
Setup: In this dystopia, the main character is upper-class, living in their parents’ home with their fiancé and in-laws. The main character is up for a promotion at their real estate firm, which sells luxury homes to billionaire buyers. The character wants to use the promotion money to move into their own place with their fiancé, but can’t because even tiny apartments are out of their price range.
Turning points:
- The main character gets the promotion, but finds that they can’t afford even the smallest apartments in the least desirable neighborhoods.
- Defeated, the main character moves back in with their parents, settling back into that life. However, a new development in their neighborhood means that their parents may not be able to continue paying their mortgage. They have a month to find the money or be evicted.
- With eviction looming, the main character is unable to focus at work, and starts falling out of favor with their boss, who gets them fewer listings. After realizing that most of the agents at the firm feel the same, the main character and some coworkers decide to occupy the office in protest of the greedy clients they work for. They stage a protest and sit-in at their office on the night of the eviction.
Conclusion: I have a few ideas! One option is that the movement gains media attention and more people start protesting the billionaires who have amassed so much wealth. Another is that the main character’s fiance leaves them for someone with more money, while the main character is stuck trying to save their family.
Story space map – I’m debating whether to tie the story to a real city or make one up
I like the idea of the main character’s place of work being right next to the large encampment within the city, as a constant reminder of the poverty many people are experiencing, while the main character sells homes to billionaires (and faces eviction themselves).
