The Unassuming Economist

On cross-country:

• EU to propose short-term rental rules to tackle ‘social crisis’ in housing. Bloc’s first affordable housing plan to cover issues such as tenants’ rights, property speculation and tourist lets – The Guardian

Working papers and conferences:

• List prices and “hot” real estate markets – Real Estate Economics
• National Football League franchise departures and nearby home prices – Real Estate Economics
• The rise of corporate landlords: An examination of behavioral differences in the multifamily market – Real Estate Economics

On China:

• China sees better living environment, emerging new real estate model, stable construction growth in 2021-2025 – Xinhua
• China’s property managers pivot to elderly services and pet care amid real estate woes. Management firms explore new income streams as homeowners demand fee cuts amid falling property prices – South China Morning Post

On Australia and New Zealand:

• [Australia] RBA governor blames high house prices on a lack of supply, not monetary policy – The Guardian
• [New Zealand] Reserve Bank to ease LVR restrictions. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand intends to ease mortgage loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions from 1 December 2025. – Reserve Bank of New Zealand
• [New Zealand] What’s really going on with the housing market? – RNZ

On other countries:  

• [Argentina] Argentina Residential Real Estate Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [Canada] The peak of real estate madness is behind us, but there are tumultuous, complicated times ahead. Here are 10 charts to explain where we are – Globe and Mail
• [Canada] Canada Home Sales Hit ‘Bump in Road’ After Five Months of Growth – Bloomberg
• [Canada] Canada Existing-Home Sales Fall in September. Existing-home sales dropped 1.7% in September on a seasonally-adjusted basis – Wall Street Journal
• [Ireland] Homeowners fearful that 36pc jump in house prices will see them hit with huge Local Property Tax bill. One area has seen cost of a house shoot up by 48pc in just four year – Irish Independent
• [Korea] South Korea Unveils New Curbs to Rein in Red-Hot Housing Market – Bloomberg
• [Mexico] Mexico’s Residential Property Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [Mexico] Situación Inmobiliaria México. Segundo semestre de 2025 – BBVA
• [Netherlands] Migrants overpaying for substandard homes face blame for Netherlands housing crisis. With general elections in two weeks, housing crisis is a big issue, with the far-right Party for Freedom blaming migrants – The Guardian
• [Turkey] Turkey Residential Real Estate Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [United Arab Emirates] UAE Residential Property Price Report – September 2025 – REIDIN
• [United Kingdom] British homebuilder Bellway raises dividend, launches buyback after upbeat annual profit – Reuters
• [United Kingdom] Why has housing delivery in London fallen so dramatically over the past decade? – Savills
• [United Kingdom] Mega-Rich Plotting Return to London, Sotheby’s Housing Boss Says – Bloomberg

On prices, rent, and mortgage:    

• Renters deserve credit for paying rent — and Zillow is delivering – Zillow
• Government Shutdown Disrupts Housing Data—but Relief Is in Sight as Mortgage Rates Hold Steady – Realtor.com   
• September 2025 Rental Report: Rental Affordability Improved Compared to a Year Ago – Realtor.com
• A Brief History of Bad Housing-Finance Policy. The 30-year fixed rate, low-down-payment mortgage pays down too slowly for those with weak credit and volatile incomes. – Wall Street Journal

On sales, permits, starts, and supply:    

• September 2025 Hottest Housing Markets – Realtor.com
• Number of Homes for Sale Continues To Grow—but Housing Market Moves at a Crawl – Realtor.com
• Gavin Newsom signs contentious bill to spur housing construction
• The California governor approved the proposal despite fierce pushback from the Los Angeles mayor and City Council. – Politico
• California Wants to Make It Easier to Build Housing. Los Angeles Objects. Gov. Newsom Friday signed a bill that will make it easier to build apartment buildings. Some cities fear a loss of control. – Wall Street Journal
• Squeezing Builders Isn’t the Way to Lower Housing Costs – Bloomberg
• Cash Is King: Trends in All-Cash Home Sales – Realtor.com
• Custom Home Building Share Declines in 2024 – NAHB
• California tries to fix its housing mess. The YIMBY movement wins a big victory – The Economist
• Builders Stay Cautious as Single-Family Permits Weaken – NAHB
• Amid Market Challenges, Builder Expectations Rise in October – NAHB
• Historic California Housing Bill Could Bring More Apartment Buildings Near Transit – Realtor.com
• Home Sales Profits Up in Third Quarter to Near 50 Percent Margin – ATTOM  
• Remodeling Expected to Continue Slow but Steady Growth Into Next Year – Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

On other developments:    

• How Would A Recession Cascade through Real Estate? – Home Economics
• Is The Housing Affordability Crisis an Illusion? – Econlib
• Mapping a Way Out of the US Housing Affordability Crisis. Sara Bronin, founder of the National Zoning Atlas, has won the Heinz Award for her ongoing project to map the land-use rules that restrict housing production. – Bloomberg
• Where Have All the Young Home Buyers Gone? Check the Stock Market. The rent vs. buy debate has taken on new meaning for Gen Z thanks to soaring share prices and more investment options – Wall Street Journal
• Bipartisan Bill To Tackle the Housing Crisis Passes the Senate During Government Shutdown – Realtor.com
• Investor-owned housing helps renters. It is not the infusion of capital from investors that disrupts housing markets; it is local government policies that do not let supply keep up with demand. – Reason
• The Government Shutdown Is Hitting the Housing Market Hard—and Florida Shows What’s at Stake – Realtor.com
• Fair Housing Takes Brunt as Trump Begins Mass Firings at HUD – Bloomberg
• Seattle Tech Workers Are Fueling a Real-Estate Rush in the Cascade Mountains. Workers from Amazon and Microsoft are spending big on homes in Suncadia, an all-season resort in Cle Elum – Wall Street Journal
• My Husband Thinks Buying a House We Can’t Afford Is Our Ticket to Security. Uh, No? – Slate

On cross-country:

• House prices up by 5.1% in the euro area – Eurostat
• Ongoing rise: house prices and rents climb further – Eurostat
• The housing crisis in Europe: key facts and EU action. Rising housing prices and rents are a big concern for many Europeans. – European Parliament
• Housing: Europe’s Dilemma. Across the European Union, housing has moved from a background concern to a central policy and social issue. – ENR

Working papers and conferences:

• Monetary Policy and Housing Overvaluation – IMF
• Housing Betas – NBER
• Financial Value of Nature: Coastal Housing Markets, Mangroves, and Climate Resilience – NBER
• Incomplete Pass-Through in Mortgage Markets – Philadelphia Fed
• Housing supply skepticism. Christopher Elmendorf discusses the views of the US public on the housing market. – American Economic Association

On Australia and New Zealand:

• [Australia] The housing market just got more cooked – The Australian Institute

On other countries:  

• [Canada] Toronto Home Prices Extend Their Slide Even as Sales Rebound – Bloomberg
• [Canada] Once-Hottest Housing Market Goes Ice Cold at Bad Time for Canada – Bloomberg
• [Malta] Home prices up by 5.6% in Q2, official figures show. NSO statistics reveal rise in Residential Property Price Index – Times of Malta
• [Saudi Arabia] Riyadh Looks to Cool Property Surge to Lure Expats From Dubai – Bloomberg
• [Spain] Spain’s housing market enters a new expansionary phase – CaixaBank
• [Spain] The price of not building: how the housing deficit explains much of the price pressures – CaixaBank
• [Spain] El precio de la vivienda empieza a frenar los mercados más calientes. Madrid suma cuatro meses de caídas en compraventas, que también se tambalean en Canarias y Baleares. Los expertos lo atribuyen a la falta de obra nueva y la subida de importes – El Pais
• [United Arab Emirates] Abu Dhabi Property Giant Bets on Cheaper Homes, Private Credit – Bloomberg
• [United Arab Emirates] Dubai Residential Project Launch Tracker – September 2025 – REIDIN
• [United Kingdom] What’s your home worth? Why no one seems to have the faintest idea. The UK favours the ‘bedrooms and vibes’ method of valuing homes — which is particularly bad in slow markets – FT
• [United Kingdom] Where is all the housing for older people?Brits are living longer — but building suitable homes for them isn’t keeping pace. Its an urgent moment for new attitudes  and broader horizons – FT
• [United Kingdom] Luxury London apartment building draws influx of US billionaires. Stephen Schwarzman and Ken Griffin among owners of residences inside five-star Peninsula hotel – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK homebuyers to get more upfront information on properties for sale. Labour’s planned overhaul of retail market aims to ‘end nasty surprises’ that often scupper house transactions – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK Plans to Speed Up Homebuying Process in Bid to Increase Sales – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] UK homebuyers to get more upfront information on properties for sale. Labour’s planned overhaul of retail market aims to ‘end nasty surprises’ that often scupper house transactions – FT

On prices, rent, and mortgage:    

• Homeowners Are Pouncing on the Tiniest Drop in Mortgage Rates. A small drop in rates in recent weeks triggered an outsize response from borrowers – Wall Street Journal
• Refinancing Activity Surges in September – NAHB
• New approach to credit scoring data could reshape US home lending. Shares of Equifax and Experian sink after Fair Isaac Corp moves to sell its ratings directly to industry data groups – FT
•  Credit bureaus snubbed in ‘Fico’ plan to sell mortgage scores direct to users. Shares of Equifax and Experian sink after Fair Isaac Corp moves to sell credit scores directly to industry data groups – FT
• October ICE Mortgage Monitor: “Home Prices Firm” in September, Up 1.2% Year-over-year – Calculated Risk
• Home Prices Surge to Five Times Median Income, Nearing Historic Highs – Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
• September 2025 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report – Realtor.com
• Asking Rents Mostly Unchanged Year-over-year – Calculated Risk
• Is the Housing Market Stabilizing? – Home Economics

On sales, permits, starts, and supply:    

• Architects: Heed the Construction Slump – Home Economics
• The Housing Shortage Is Over (Sort Of) – Bloomberg
• Supply-Side Cost Pressures Drove Housing as Inflation Leader in 2024 – NAHB
• Recent tariffs threaten residential construction – Brookings
• Shorter Apartment Construction Time in 2024 – NAHB
• Trump Urges Homebuilders To Boost Construction and Stop ‘Sitting on Empty Lots’ – Realtor.com
• Minority-Owned Residential Building Firms Continue to Rise – NAHB
• 1st Look at Local Housing Markets in September – Calculated Risk
• Trump Urges Homebuilders To Boost Construction and Stop ‘Sitting on Empty Lots’ – Realtor.com
• Remodeling Market Sentiment Improves in Third Quarter – NAHB
• Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-October 2025 – Calculated Risk
• Tiny Homes Aim to Address Shortage on Lakota Reservation. A local Y.M.C.A. branch in South Dakota partnered with a Brooklyn-based firm to design tiny homes as existing two-bedrooms swell with 10 to 15 people. – New York Times
• Fed Officials Discussed Risk of Housing Market Collapse at Recent Meeting to Cut Interest Rates – Realtor.com

On other developments:    

• What the Government Shutdown Could Mean for Housing – Zillow
• Housing Affordability? Build, Baby, Build – AEI
• Government Shutdown Adds Uncertainty to Housing Market as Mortgage Rates Tick Up Again – Realtor.com
• Shutdown Adds to the D.C. Housing Market’s Challenges. Many federal workers who took buyouts earlier this year aren’t getting paid, and the government shutdown could add to region’s unemployment – Wall Street Journal
• 93% of Americans Say Housing Costs Are Too High—and These Are the Factors They Blame – Realtor.com
• The Atlanta Fed Examines Housing Affordability Challenges in Music City – Atlanta Fed
• Cash is King: Trends in All-Cash Home Sales – Realtor.com
• Homebuyer Sentiment Remains Muted as Most Say It’s Still a Bad Time to Buy – Realtor.com
• Is New Housing Popular? It depends who you ask, how you ask, and when you ask. – Reason
• How Zillow makes renting easier, fairer and more affordable for everyone. By partnering with trusted platforms like Redfin and Realtor.com, Zillow is expanding access to rental listings, lowering costs for housing providers, and providing renters with a clearer and simpler way to find their next home – Zillow 
• Quantitative easing and housing inflation post-COVID – Brookings
• How the Affordable Rental Housing Crisis is Hurting Hispanics – CEPR 
• Single-Family vs. Multifamily Homes—Which Builds Equity Faster? – Realtor.com

On cross-country:

• World’s real estate worth $393.3 trillion and is the world’s largest store of wealth. The value of all global real estate (residential and commercial real estate, and agricultural land) was $393.3 trillion as of the start of 2025, according to Savills, maintaining the asset’s position as the world’s most significant store of wealth. – Savills
• EU housing plan to tackle speculation, short-term rentals. Brussels wants more public cash to build homes — and insists they be genuinely affordable. – Politico

Working papers and conferences:

• Price and Volume Divergence in China’s Real Estate Markets: The Role of Local Governments – NBER
• The Impact of Carcinogenic Risk Exposure on Housing Values: Estimates From Chemical Reclassifications – NBER
• How Mortgage Lock-In Affects the Price of Housing – Philadelphia Fed
• Understanding the Lag Between CPI Shelter Inflation and Market Rents – NBER

On Australia and New Zealand:

• [Australia] Sydney remains ground zero for Australia’s housing crisis – Grattan Institute
• [Australia] It’s about to get easier to buy your first home as Australia’s first home guarantee expands. The guarantee slashes the deposit requirements for a loan, reducing the savings wait time for people earning enough to pay off a home loan – The Guardian
• [Australia] Michele Bullock says ‘nothing I can do personally’ about house prices – as it happened – The Guardian
• [New Zealand] New Zealand House Prices Rise for First Time in Six Months – Bloomberg

On other countries:  

• [Argentina] Argentina Residential Real Estate Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [Hong Kong] Hong Kong may relaunch public flat purchase scheme but not in near future. Housing minister Winnie Ho says cautious approach and timing key to success of purchase scheme and protection of supply – South China Morning Post
• [Korea] Seoul’s Apartment Prices Rise for 34th Week as Pace Picks Up – Bloomberg
• [Mexico] Mexico’s Residential Property Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [Saudi Arabia] Saudi Arabia Orders Freeze on Riyadh Rents After Price Surge – Bloomberg
• [Singapore] Singapore Home Prices Accelerate Again After New Buying Wave – Bloomberg
• [Slovakia] Slovakia’s Residential Real Estate Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [South Korea] South Korea’s Property Market Rally Clouds Case for BOK Rate Cut – Bloomberg
• [Spain] Spain’s student housing draws global investors as overseas enrolment booms – Bloomberg
• [Turkey] Turkey Residential Property Market Analysis 2025 – Global Property Guide
• [United Arab Emirates] Dubai Residential Market Overview – August 2025 – REIDIN
• [United Kingdom] London considers lowering affordable homes target to spur house building. Developers complain that 35% goal is too high and makes schemes unviable – FT
• [United Kingdom] Latest House Price Index Report – hometrack
• [United Kingdom] UK house prices rise more than expected in September. Low unemployment and buoyant wages underpin gains, says lender Nationwide – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK house prices return to growth amid ‘broad stability’ in market. Nationwide says prices rose by 0.5% in September after August drop, lifting average price of property to £271,995 – The Guardian
• [United Kingdom] UK house prices rise more than expected in September. Low unemployment and buoyant wages underpin gains, says lender Nationwide – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK house prices rise slightly more than expected in September, Nationwide data shows – Reuters   
• [United Kingdom] Think twice before rushing to fix the UK’s broken property taxes. It took us a generation to get into the present council tax mess and would take another to emerge with minimal scars – FT