The Current Housing Market Situation

This book re-examines the role of urban policy and planning in relation to the housing market in an era of global uncertainty and change. The relationship between planning and the housing market is a contested problem across research, policy, and practice. Problems with housing supply and affordability in many nations have been linked to planning system constraints, while the global financial crisis has raised new questions about the role of urban planning regulation and processes in responding to housing market trends. With reference to international cases from the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Hong Kong and Australia, the book examines how different systems of urban planning and governance address complex and dynamic housing market trends. It also offers practical guidance on how urban planning can support an efficient supply of appropriate and affordable homes in preferred locations. A detailed study, which explains and decodes the workings of the planning system and housing market, this book will be of particular interest to scholars of human geography and urban planning, as well as housing policy makers and practitioners. To view Nicole Gurran’s related TEDx talk please visit: Housing Crisis? How about housing solutions. TEDx Sydney 2018 (http://bit.ly/2psfpMw)

Based on the work of Karl "Chip" Case, who is renowned for his scientific contributions to the economics of housing and public policy, this is a must read during a time of restructuring our nation's system of housing finance.

A newly updated edition for the fast-changing real estate market in Canada! Over the last two decades Canadians have become convinced that real estate is the “safe haven” investment. This widely held belief and obsession with real estate led millions of Canadians to take on massive amounts of debt — tripling their collective financial burden — ensuring that Canada is one of the most indebted nations on the planet. Drawing on dozens of interviews and even more conversations with individual Canadians and couples, this second edition also tackles the economic conditions and regulatory rules that allowed such a dangerous situation to develop in Canada, formerly a nation of conservative and prudent citizens. Hilliard MacBeth argues that Canada is in the midst of an unprecedented real estate bubble and that there will soon be a crash in house prices, triggering a financial crisis. Individual Canadians and families can still take action to protect themselves from the fallout of the bubble bursting — if they act quickly.

Real estate market growth in Canada experienced unprecedented growth in the last five years, driving housing prices to an unaffordable level for an average household and giving an impression of a housing bubble, similar to the one seen in the United States in 2007. Yet a large number of Canadian families are dreaming of becoming homeowners at any cost (even if they are not able to afford it) without clear understanding of risks and costs associated with a home purchase. But under current market conditions, homeownership is a luxury rather than a profitable investment. The book provides a real-life illustration of two options available for a family debating between buying and leasing a townhouse in Toronto (the readers are able to easily extend this analysis to other types of residential properties). One of the findings from this mathematical exercise is that an unchanged house price by the end of a five-year term results in a $90,000 loss by the homeowner. This implies that the only rational explanation for a desire to buy the townhouse is expectations of capital appreciation that will be sufficient to compensate for the additional costs of homeownership. The analytical section of the book provides an insight into an upcoming price moderation stage for the Canadian housing market. Analysis include a discussion on the forces of supply and demand that drove the Canadian housing prices to the level where they are today and an outlook on what is likely to happen with these forces in years to come. The user-friendly Excel model is available for download by readers free of charge and can be used for evaluation of their own personal options.

There is a small and growing literature that explores the impact of digitization in a variety of contexts, but its economic consequences, surprisingly, remain poorly understood. This volume aims to set the agenda for research in the economics of digitization, with each chapter identifying a promising area of research. Economics of Digitizationidentifies urgent topics with research already underway that warrant further exploration from economists. In addition to the growing importance of digitization itself, digital technologies have some features that suggest that many well-studied economic models may not apply and, indeed, so many aspects of the digital economy throw normal economics in a loop.Economics of Digitization will be one of the first to focus on the economic implications of digitization and to bring together leading scholars in the economics of digitization to explore emerging research.

Explains the financial history leading to the mortgage meltdown and assesses today's housing finance systems in the United States and abroad.