New housing supply and price reactions: evidence from Spanish markets

Purpose - The paper develops a housing model equation for Spain and selected regions to estimate new supply elasticity. The aim of the paper is to assess the role of housing supply on price evolution and explain the fall in housing starts since the start of the credit crunch. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses a pooled EGLS specification controlling for the presence of cross-section heteroskedasticity. Fixed effect estimators are calculated to capture regional heterogeneity. The model uses secondary data (quarterly) for 17 Spanish regions over the period 1990-2012. A recursive procedure is applied to estimate model parameters starting with a baseline model (1990-1999) and successively adding one-year time information. Elasticities, as well as explanatory power from models, are reported and jointly analyzed. Elasticity is interpreted as the extent to which market mechanisms drive developer responses. Findings - Elasticities of new supply are shown to be very stable during all periods but characterized by differences in response at a regional level. Elasticity ranges from 0.8 to 1.3 across regions. The model reports a non-market-oriented mechanism that guides building decisions. The credit crunch and debt crisis have had a double negative effect capturing the cumulative effect of exogenous shocks. Research limitations/implications - Elastic responses restrained the effects of over-pricing in the period of strong demand pressures in the early 2000s. Changes in elasticity parameters over time suggest that long-term elasticity in housing supply depends on the specific region analyzed. The results show that the credit crunch shock had varying degrees of severity in Spanish regions, dramatically reducing house-building because of the high sensitivity to changes in prices. Practical implications - Estimated elasticity may be used to forecast responses to changes in housing prices. The results add to the understanding of the equilibrium mechanism in the housing market across regions. Originality/value - This is the first article that analyses housing supply, calculates supply elasticities and measures the impact of the credit crunch on the housing market from the supply side in Spain. The paper adds evidence to the debate concerning the equilibrium mechanism in the housing market.