Homebuyers and the representation of spatial markets by information providers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to renew a research agenda considering the impact that information providers’ processes are having on the housing market; in particular to develop a research agenda around the role of the Internet in shaping households’ perceptions of the spatial nature of housing markets. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the existing literature. It uses preliminary extensive survey findings about the role of the Internet in housing search to hypothesise ways in which households may be affected by this transition. Findings – Not applicable – other than evidence for the growth in the importance of the Internet in shaping households’ housing search. Practical implications – First, the academy needs to readdress the theory surrounding information acquisition and use insights from economics, sociology and psychology to understand these processes. Second, local authorities and academics should analyse the impact of Internet use on housing market boundaries (and the profound subsequent impact on policy traction). Third, estate agents should reconsider the role of the Internet in shaping housing markets and provide a critical response to the large property search engines. Originality/value – This paper reviews the literature and explores the necessity of a renewed interest in research on the role of information sources in framing and constraining housing search behaviour

Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets Phase II: Asians and Pacific Islanders

This report documents the results of a an 11-city paired testing study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development of housing discrimination against Asian- Americans and Pacific Islanders. The study shows that one out of every five Asians and Pacific Islanders attempting to buy or rent a home are discriminated against, a rate similar to that of African Americans and Hispanics.

Housing Affordability in the Omaha and Council Bluffs Area: An Assessment of Housing Affordability, Needs, & Priorities

In 2019-2020, a collaborative comprised of nine local foundations partnered with Development Strategies, a research firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, to explore affordable housing across the Omaha metro area and Council Bluffs. While the purpose of the study was to gather data that would guide philanthropic leaders in a strategic investment, the information gained provided valuable insight for the broader community regarding the need for affordable housing.The study highlights seven key issues across the focus area (Douglas County, Sarpy County, and the City of Council Bluffs).

Real Estate Brokerage and the Hosting Market: An Annotated Bibliography

A number of facets of real estate brokerage have been examined over time in theoretical and empirical articles appearing in the literature. This article summarizes brokerage research and suggests avenues for future inquiry. In attempting to organize brokerage research, the research is classified into eight broad topical areas: (1) brokerage firm characteristics; (2) broker commissions; (3) time on the market; (4) broker compensation; (5) the effects of brokerage on house prices; (6) regulation of the brokerage industry; (7) legal liability; and (8) international comparisons. In each area, we point out the major focus of the research by summarizing important findings.

Forest density preferences of homebuyers in the wildland-urban interface

AbstractIn the fire-prone Western U.S., the scale of surrounding forest density can be realized by homebuyers as an amenity for aesthetics and cooling effects, or as a disamenity in terms of wildfire risk. There has been a lack of academic attention to understanding this duality of forest density preferences for homebuyers in at-risk Wildland Urban Interfaces (WUIs). To fill this gap, we investigated the influence of forest density on WUI house sales in four high fire-risk zones in dry, mixed conifer forests of the Western U.S with a spatial hedonic pricing model. Explanatory attributes related to house structure, neighborhood, and environmental amenities were assessed, along with a set of WUI variables that included forest density ranges at two buffer levels— a 100m radius level and a 500m radius level. Results indicate a strong preference for lower forest density at the 100m level, but a countering preference for higher forest density at the larger 500m buffer. These findings suggest the need to reconsider broad approaches in public awareness campaigns and regional planning, as well as fire management policies and strategies. Preference for higher density forests implies that if left to homeowners, fuel treatments in public spaces will be underinvested

City of go(l)d : spatial and cultural effects of high-status Jewish immigration from Western countries on the Baka neighbourhood of Jerusalem

Immigration to Israel by Jews from western countries has been growing over recent years. Jerusalem attracts more of these mainly religious immigrants than any other city in Israel. They are a desired population by the State of Israel, and for many reasons can be considered privileged immigrants. The way Diaspora Jews imagine Israel and Jerusalem plays a crucial role in their decision to move there. Many of these lifestyle/homecoming immigrants find their way to Baka, where they can live near other expatriates and enjoy the comforts of the ethnic enclave. The paper deals with the spatial and cultural implications that privileged lifestyle migration has on the space in which it settles. It focuses particularly on the case-study of English- and French-speaking Jewish immigrants who live in Baka and on their effects on the neighbourhood’s gentrification process, its real estate market and issues of consumerism and belonging

Housing affordability and housing submarkets : the case of Greater Sydney

To date, the existing body of literature on housing affordability and house price behaviour focused largely on international, national, state and city-based levels. Specifically, metropolitan city-based studies are done at aggregate levels despite the enormous empirical evidence pointing out the existing socio-economic and demographic discrepancies in these cities. In Greater Sydney, for example, studies such as Baum (2004), Costello (2009), Forster (2006), and Randolph and Tice (2014), have reported these socio-economic divergences within the city. These socio-economic discrepancies are also evident in other capital cities of Australia (Hulse et al. 2014). Specifically, they found that there is stronger concentration of social and spatial disadvantages in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Recognising these differences, the study adopted a sub-city empirical analysis of housing affordability and house price behaviour within Greater Sydney. The aim of this research is to enhance our understanding of housing affordability and house price dynamics in Greater Sydney from a disaggregated perspective. These methods and findings could also be possibly adopted in other capital cities of Australia. This research has filled an important gap in the housing literature in general and regional housing analysis in particular. The study has revealed the varying rates at which entry-level affordability is declining across the regions of Greater Sydney. The study found that the increasing number of property investment in the relative low-income regions of the city (western, inner-west and southern regions) could be a causative agent of the significant decline in entry-level affordability of these regions. Further, some households use low-income regions to get their feet in the property market and then move to the higher-end of the market as their equity improves. This trade-up housing strategy, combined with the growing property investment activities in the relative low-income regions of Greater Sydney, is contributing to the deterioration of entry-level affordability in these regions of the city. Policy makers could consider the findings of this study in formulating a more targeted and regionally-balanced housing policy

Open source building alliance ecology : the Internet framework for consumer driven participative design

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2007.Pages 146 and 147 blank.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-137).Open Source strategies have become powerful tools for the development of innovative products in various industries (Von Hippel, 2006). Success stories in computer and clothing manufacturing signify that the adoption of Open Source practices may improve service standards and productivity (Clayton, 2001; Thomle & Von Hippel, 2002). Although Open Source strategies have been adapted in many design industries for satisfying customer demands in customized products, no one has successfully implemented an effective process for integrating Open Source into the building industries (Herbert, 1981, Larson et al., 2004). In an attempt to overcome many of the same barriers to product maturity such ineffective collaboration, lack of data management (Shah, 2003; Rothfuss, 2002), and limitations of product distribution channels, a new participative Open Source platform for transforming building design processes and economics is suggested (Larson et al., 2004). This thesis reexamines the basic assumptions of how building products are distributed through the Open Source environment.(cont.) By analyzing the impact of e-Business and Internet technology driving community participation, the integration of (1) four online Business models: Dell, Open Source, iTunes, and eBay, and (2) the advent of mass- customization through the revolution of Internet technology, Computer Aided Design (CAD), and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) for architecture and architectural product design and development will be established. The results of this evaluation identify the effective factors for the Internet augmentation framework to achieve the usability of Open Source for the design-build housing industry, and reinforce the changing relationship between homebuyers, architects, and manufacturers prior to making a final housing product.by Kalaya Kovidvisith.S.M

How website users segment a city: The geography of housing search in London

This paper explores spatial patterns of housing search in London, using data generated by users of the UK's most popular real estate portal. By focusing on the variable geographies of ‘search extent’, it attempts to make a contribution to a long line of studies focused on understanding the fragmented geography of metropolitan housing markets. It also builds upon more recent work in economics on the utility of user-generated search data. After introducing our approach, we discuss the background to housing search and the wider emergence of ‘search’ as an object of study. We then provide further details on the data and methodology before exploring the spatial and sectoral characteristics of search in London. The results suggest that there is much to be gained by incorporating search studies into housing market analysis and that there is significant potential for future work in this area