A SPATIAL DECOMPOSITION APPROACH FOR INVESTIGATING HOUSE PRICE CONVERGENCES

Convergence of house prices indicates how prices are reaching an aggregate equilibrium in a long-run perspective. Identifying the convergence is important for cross-region housing development and investment. Few studies have identified house price convergences at different levels, with spatial effects on house prices predominantly ignored. The research presented here developed a spatial panel regression approach to investigate the convergences of house prices in Australian capital cities. Three hypotheses were tested to identify the level of house price convergence. The results demonstrate that a steady state in a system of regional house prices and spatial effects contribute to the convergence continuing.