Housing View – April 21, 2023

On cross-country:

  • Spain and Portugal tackle property crisis by embracing public housing. Under-investment means the two countries have the most limited stocks of subsidised homes in western Europe – FT


On the US—developments on house prices, rent, permits and mortgage:    

  • Podcast interview: What’s behind the boom in housing prices and rents? Boston Fed economist says the high rents plus high housing costs mean this spike is different – Boston Fed
  • Home Prices Grew 4.7 Percent Year over Year in First Quarter – Fannie Mae
  • March Housing Starts: Most Multi-family Under Construction Since 1973. Housing Starts Decreased to 1.420 million Annual Rate in March – Calculated Risk
  • US housing market stabilizing as single-family homebuilding, permits surge – Reuters


On the US—other developments:    

  • What a housing shortage means for the future of work – Globe and Mail
  • How Severe Is the Housing Shortage? It Depends on How You Define ‘Shortage’. Counting the homes we have is straightforward, yet counting the number we need is anything but – Wall Street Journal
  • Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in March. 3rd Look at Local Housing Markets in March – Calculated Risk
  • 4th Look at Local Housing Markets: California Home Sales down 34% YoY in March; Prices Down 7.0% YoY. Expect NAR to report sales of around 4.51 million SAAR for March – Calculated Risk


On China:

  • China March new home prices rise at fastest pace in 21 months – Reuters
  • Chinese property prices rise ahead of first-quarter GDP release. New home values climb at fastest pace in 21 months but uneven consumer recovery clouds outlook – FT
  • China’s property-market recovery ‘uncertain’ as investment remains weak despite surge in first-quarter home sales. Property development investment dropped 5.8 per cent year on year to 2.6 trillion yuan (US$377.8 billion) in the first quarter. Overall property sales rose 4.1 per cent year on year in the quarter, and new-homes sales shot up 7.1 per cent, according to government data – South China Morning Post


On other countries:  

  • [Australia] Australia must realise the best form of rent control is public housing. Increasing private housing supply alone is not an adequate response to the urgent problem of rising rents – The Guardian
  • [Australia] Living with density: will Australia’s housing crisis finally change the way its cities work? Experts agree medium – and high-density development in established suburbs is an essential part of making housing more affordable. But the opposition from existing home owners is fierce – The Guardian
  • [Australia] Rental crisis: Airbnb and holiday home owners urged to let out properties to long-term renters. Thousands of homes across Australia are listed on short-stay websites but councils’ call to action is ‘piecemeal approach’ to housing crisis, experts say – The Guardian
  • [Germany] Secondary Housing Supply – London School of Economics
  • [Hong Kong] Boosting Hong Kong’s housing supply must not come at the expense of subdivided flat residents. The government’s proposal to lower the threshold that would trigger the compulsory sale of old buildings would affect a large number of subdivided flat residents. A progressive approach would allow time to find a balance between the need for redevelopment, the property interests of minority owners, and the concerns of tenants – South China Morning Post
  • [India] Mortgage Terms Doubling to 60 Years Rattle Indian Homeowners. Some Indian banks adjust mortgage terms as interest rates rise. Nearly five million borrowers see repayments, tenures increase – Bloomberg
  • [India] Land Use Deregulation and Housing Supply Under Institutional Frictions – SSRN
  • [Taiwan] Taiwan’s Semiconductor Success Is Fueling a Surge in Home Prices. Home prices in Taiwan are rising in tandem with the expansion plans of the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturers. – Bloomberg
  • [United Kingdom] The problematic rise of the ‘ultra-marathon’ mortgage. ‘While a longer mortgage term may help first-time buyers get on what they think is a housing ladder, it actually limits their ability to climb it’ – FT
  • [United Kingdom] Shift to Cheaper Homes Holds Answer to Diverging UK House Prices. Capital Economics looks at gap between Nationwide and Halifax. Mortgage lenders disagree on whether price are falling – Bloomberg
  • [United Kingdom] As More Rate Hikes Loom, What Next for House Prices? Recent UK house price data is mixed. But a rally from here seems unlikely. – Bloomberg

Posted by at 5:00 AM

Labels: Global Housing Watch

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