1887

OECD Economics Department Working Papers

Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.

The views expressed in these papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries.

English, French

Real House Prices in OECD Countries

The Role of Demand Shocks and Structural and Policy Factors

This paper analyses the factors influencing the level and volatility of real house prices in a panel of OECD countries over the period 1980-2005. Results suggest that real house prices tend to rise proportionally with real household incomes, while declines in structural unemployment and real interest rates are associated with higher real house prices. The process of mortgage market deregulation has coincided with a noticeable increase in real house prices in OECD countries, while high rates of leverage are found to amplify house price volatility. Estimates suggest that tax reliefs on mortgage debt financing costs tend to be capitalised into real house prices and may also amplify price volatility, reflecting the tendency for such policies to encourage leverage. While higher transaction costs are associated with lower house price volatility, this effect is modest compared to the impact of banking supervision. Indeed, prudential banking supervision and policies designed to contain the excessive build-up of leverage are shown to significantly reduce the extent of house price volatility, underscoring the importance of ongoing efforts to reform prudential frameworks in OECD countries.

English

Keywords: house prices, financial regulation, taxation, mortgage markets, housing market
JEL: R31: Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics / Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location / Housing Supply and Markets; G21: Financial Economics / Financial Institutions and Services / Banks; Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages; H24: Public Economics / Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue / Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies; R21: Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics / Household Analysis / Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Housing Demand
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