The study by Mingzhu Tai (University of Hong Kong) finds that U.S. housing booms prompt banks to shift credit from renters to homeowners, expanding mortgage lending while cutting unsecured credit to renters, which reduces their borrowing, raises defaults, and lowers consumption.

V53-I4-Ep.1 House Prices & Consumer Credit Allocation

This paper examines how U.S. state political settings influence banks’ willingness to approve jumbo mortgage loans. Using data from state‐chartered banks between 1990 and 2015, the authors exploit the exogenous timing of state elections to compare lending behavior under Unified Republican, Unified Democratic, and divided governments. They find that banks in Unified Republican states are significantly more likely to approve illiquid jumbo mortgages, whereas banks in Unified Democratic states are less likely to do so, with the effect being stronger for riskier banks.

V53-I4-Ep.2 Jumbo Mortgage Lending & Political Settings

This paper investigates how housing markets respond to the adoption of stringent U.S. state energy codes. Using a difference‐in‐differences approach with property‐level data from 2000 to 2020, the authors find that stricter codes lead to higher new home prices but lower resale prices for existing, less energy‐efficient homes. The results suggest that energy codes create a price premium for energy‐efficient new construction while potentially imposing a value penalty on older housing stock that does not meet updated standards.

V53-I4-Ep.3 Strict Energy Codes & Housing Market Response

This paper examines why many U.S. mortgage borrowers fail to refinance despite substantial potential savings. Using loan‐level data and a structural model, the authors show that high transaction costs and borrower inattention contribute to persistent mortgage rate heterogeneity. Their findings suggest that reducing refinancing frictions could significantly improve household welfare by lowering mortgage payments for many borrowers.

V53-I4-Ep.4 Mortgage Rate & Refinance Failure

This paper explores whether the construction of skyscrapers leads to the formation of urban subcenters. Using detailed building‐level data from Chinese cities between 2000 and 2018 and a difference‐in‐differences design, the authors find that skyscraper construction significantly increases surrounding employment density and commercial activity, effectively creating new subcenters. The results suggest that tall buildings can reshape urban spatial structures by decentralizing economic activity from traditional central business districts.

V53-I4-Ep.5 Reshaping the City & Skyscraper

This paper investigates whether trading volume in REIT options predicts future REIT returns and the role of retail investors in this relationship. Using REIT‐level option and stock market data, the authors find that high option volume relative to stock volume predicts lower future returns, and this effect is stronger when retail investor activity is higher. The results suggest that retail investors’ trading in REIT options may contribute to short‐term mispricing in REIT markets.

V53-I4-Ep.6 Decoding REIT Options

This paper looks at what happened when San Francisco required Airbnb hosts to register their rentals. The rule caused a big drop in the number of listings, especially those run by hosts with multiple properties. The authors find that the regulation reduced rental supply but also helped push some properties back into the long‐term housing market.

V53-I4-Ep.7 San Francisco, Airbnb, Regulations

This paper looks at how immigration affects housing prices in different U.S. cities. The authors find that when immigrants are welcomed and integrated into the community, local housing prices tend to rise because demand for housing increases. In contrast, places less welcoming to immigrants see smaller housing price gains or even declines.

V53-I4-Ep.8 Immigration & Local Housing Price Dynamics

Bite-size briefings on the newest research from Real Estate Economics, the premier journal of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics. Each episode, our AI host distills a fresh paper into the essentials: question, method, findings, and why it matters. Stay current with the cutting-edge research in the field of real estate, economics, and finance.

V53-I4-Ep.6 Decoding REIT Options

Real Estate Economics - Podcast