Homeownership Rate and Other House Price Determinants Impacts on New House Prices in Colombia

Abstract

Homeownership remains a preferred form of tenancy in different parts of the world. The attractions of security, stability, investment potential and a sense of pride outweigh the fear of price instability. For this reason, the Colombian government has encouraged in recent years, various demand policies that have sought to promote the increase in the number of homeowners. However, these ideas could have a severe impact on prices in the real estate market. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the effect of homeownership rate on new house prices in an emerging country with low real estate ownership, credit restrictions and average per capita income. The study uses panel data model to examine the influence of housing tenancy and other variables on the variation of housing prices in Colombia. Data were obtained from various sources including the Central Bank of Colombia, Financial Superintendence of Colombia, and National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia. The results show that homeownership rates have a positive effect on the price of new homes, which supports the hypothesis of the research. The population growth of the cities is the factor that is most relevant when explaining the price variations.