housing is artificially scarce
Housing is not artificially scarce, because land is naturally scarce.
Renting will always cost more than the upkeep of a house because otherwise nobody would lease
On average yes, but you also do not need to account for variability in price due to for example, having to replace the plumbing every 20 years or so.
All your issues with personal ownership of a house stem from other people treating housing as private property that can be invested in
This addresses none of the things I listed.