The Unassuming Economist

On cross-country:

• Do Credit Conditions Move House Prices? – NBER
• Call for Papers: ESCP-TAU-UCLA Conference on Low-Income Housing Supply and Housing Affordability, June 14-16, 2022 – American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association
• Call for Policy Papers on Rethinking Cities for Resilience and Growth in the Post-COVID-19 World – Asian Development Bank Institute

On the US:   

• Should You Buy a Home in the US? – Project Syndicate
• NY Fed’s Williams says rising home prices don’t pose financial stability risks – Reuters
• America’s Housing Boom Will Keep Builders and Agents Busy. There is no more off season any more for housing as builders and buyers make up for lost time – Wall Street Journal
• Housing Market Shows Cracks With Price Cuts in Pandemic Boomtowns. In places like Boise, homebuyers are gaining an edge after a real estate frenzy. – Bloomberg
• The Market for Single-Family Rentals Grows as Homeownership Wanes. House hunters are attracted to the hassle-free living and lack of down payments, but there’s a trade-off: They give up the investment of owning a home. – New York Times
• Pelosi tries to salvage housing aid. The White House as of Friday was refusing to go above $150 billion for housing, according to two people familiar with the talks. – Politico
• How Private Equity Landlords are Changing the Housing Market – Cato Institute
• The Economic Burden of Pension Shortfalls: Evidence from House Prices – NBER
• New York Fed Releases White Paper on Effective Eviction Prevention and New Data Collection Efforts Focused on Renters and Landlords – New York Fed
• Why America’s real estate industry is so racist. MacArthur Fellow Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor writes about how, 53 years after the Fair Housing Act, Black families still face rampant housing discrimination. – Fast Company
• Commercial Real-Estate Sales and Values Surge to Records. Investors hunting for yield gobbled up apartment buildings, life-science labs and industrial properties during the third quarter – Wall Street Journal
• Congress isn’t going to save the housing market. Build Back Better doesn’t build enough. – Vox

On China

• China expands property tax trials in next step of ‘common prosperity’ drive. Xi Jinping backs plan to test levy that could alter country’s economic model – FT
• China’s new property tax may prompt owners of multiple homes to sell down their holdings before prices take a hit, say analysts. – South China Morning Post
• How China Is Rolling Out a Property Tax on Homes, and Why – Bloomberg
• Another Chinese property developer defaults, shares drop – Reuters
• The effect of homeownership on migrant household savings: Evidence from the removal of home purchase restrictions in China – Economic Modelling

On other countries:  

• [Germany] In Berlin 85% of people rent their homes — and prices are spiralling. The end of a rental cap and a shortage of stock are making the German capital unaffordable for many – FT
• [Hong Kong] Hong Kong house prices fall by the most in nearly a year as volatile stock market hits buying sentiment – South China Morning Post
• [Italy] Why Americans and Britons Are Rushing to Buy Idyllic Homes in Italy. A range of tax incentives, relatively lower prices and the potential for working remotely is driving up demand from house hunters overseas. – Bloomberg
• [Namibia] How innovative construction could ease Namibia’s housing crisis – World Economic Forum
• [Singapore] The go-go property market doesn’t have legs. Stretched valuations, worsening demographics and policy risks are flashing warning signs – The Straits Times
• [Thailand] Thai central bank eases mortgage rules to support property sector – Reuters
• [United Kingdom] Will the UK embrace long fixed-rate home loans? Lenders have been slow to heed Boris Johnson’s call to action on mortgage terms – FT