Topic Real Estate and Housing

Less natural gas, left over pipelines, to be managed by the municipalities

Inclusive, Affordable and Sustainable Housing for Marginalized Communities (HouseInc)

The objective of HouseInc is to analyse interlinked dimensions of housing inequalities in the context of marginalized communities. HouseInc will empirically examine economic, social, and ecological drivers and assess impacts of various indicators on housing inequality to derive policy recommendations that foster the adoption of effective measures addressing housing inequality across Europe....

Decline in nominal construction volume expected for the first time since the financial crisis

Forward to the Past: Short-Term Effects of the Rent Freeze in Berlin

In 2020, Berlin introduced a rigorous rent-control policy responding to soaring prices by capping rents: the Mietendeckel (rent freeze). The German Constitutional Court revoked the policy only one year later. Although successful in lowering rents during its duration, the consequences for Berlin’s rental market and close-by markets are per se not clear. This article evaluates the short-term causal supply-side ...

Decline in Nominal Construction Volume Expected for the First Time since the Financial Crisis; Residential Construction Situation Worsening

High construction prices and worsened financing conditions are weighing on the construction industry, especially build-ing construction. Despite a nominal increase of six percent in construction expenses in 2023, it decreased by just over one percent in inflation-adjusted terms. In 2024, the nominal construction volume is likely to contract by around 3.5 percent, declining for the first time since ...

House Price Expectations

This study examines short-, medium-, and long-run price expectations in housing markets. At the heart of our analysis is the combination of data from a tailored in-person household survey, past sale offerings, satellite imagery on developable land, and an information treatment (RCT). As novel finding, we show that price expectations show no evidence for momentum-effects in the long run. We also do ...

Green or Greedy: The Relationship between Perceived Benefits and Homeowners’ Intention to Adopt Residential Low-carbon Technologies

Transitioning to a net-zero economy requires a nuanced understanding of homeowners’ decision-making pathways when considering the adoption of Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs). These LCTs present both personal and collective benefits, with positive perceptions critically influencing attitudes and intentions. Our study analyses the relationship between two primary benefits: the household-level financial ...

Heat Monitor 2023: Despite Continued Price Increases, Lower Decline in Households’ Heating Energy Consumption

In 2023, heating energy prices increased by substantial 31 percent compared to the previous year, following a 33 percent increase already seen in 2022. Calculations based on data from the energy service provider ista show average price increases were the highest in the German state of Rhineland- Palatinate, and the lowest in Hamburg. Owing to these price hikes and ongoing energy-saving efforts, the ...

Rent Control Effects through the Lens of Empirical Research: An Almost Complete Review of the Literature

Rent control is a highly debated social policy that has been omnipresent since World War I. Since the 2010s, it is experiencing a true renaissance, for many cities and countries facing chronic housing shortages are desperately looking for solutions, directing their attention to controling housing rents and other restrictive policies. Is rent control useful or does it create more damage than utility? ...

The Keys to the House - How Wealth Transfers Stratify Homeownership Opportunities

This study investigates how actual and anticipated intergenerational wealth transfers (i.e., inter-vivo gifts and inheritances) contribute to social stratification in the transition to homeownership. Utilizing discrete-time survival analysis on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (N=13,018), we find that individuals whose parents were manual workers or service workers are less likely to ...