I think the major issue is the price being something most people can afford, along with the fact that there is literally no meaningful gil sinks in this game apart from housing itself. People are sitting on huge piles of gil and housing is one of the most attractive ways to spend it. Having the gil but the resource being too scarce that no amount of gil will get you what you want is frustrating. But I remember back in the day when full wards were empty and no one really cared because it was too damn expensive like you said.

If the prices were higher and were there more and better gil sinks, people would be less angry. Some would complain about the ridiculous price, sure. But it's even more frustrating when you have the money and still can't buy it.

Well, my post is ignoring the fact that the biggest issue of all is the lack of supply. But that's a different story... if they won't create adequate supply then the next place to look (after the rightful move of restricting housing to 1 personal and 1 FC house per server per service account) would probably be to increase price and create more gil sinks. Most people can more or less afford a small home just through doing the main scenario quests. Personally, while I do believe everyone should have the opportunity to get a house... I think there should be a sense of working for it and achieving it. The prices should be higher. But I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me.