Buying a Home with a Resale Value: Location, Location, Location
38 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2013
Date Written: October 2013
Abstract
We develop a dynamic multiregion model, where a household's choice of housing location depends on its current wealth and its current type, and involves both consumption and investment considerations. The relative strength of the consumption motive and the investment motive determines the equilibrium pattern of residential sorting. A strong investment (consumption) motive implies sorting according to household type (wealth). The model predicts that large houseāprice fluctuations are associated with a low degree of sorting by type. This prediction is consistent with evidence from US metropolitan areas when income, education, and age are used as proxies for household type.
Keywords: Consumption motive, household mobility, house prices, incomplete markets, investment motive, residential sorting
JEL Classification: D31, D52, G11, R12, R21, R23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation