The Housing Market and Macroeconomics Housing is an important part of macroeconomics. It contributes to our GDP through private investments and consumption spending. This includes purchasing a new or existing home and the costs of maintenance or upkeep on the property, in the form of services. Prior to the collapse of the housing bubble in 2007, the market had seen a steady increase in housing prices, and a decrease in interest rates, due to the increase in the federal funds rate (Arnold pg 379). As interest rates fell the demand for housing increased, thus increasing housing prices. But what caused the housing bubble? There are many different arguments to this question. During this period lending practices became less strict and we saw a move to less traditional lending patterns and unsound lending practices. Banks were lending with less documentation and a smaller required down payment, bringing homeowners perilously close to 100% loan-to-value ratios. Another cause for concern was the complex mortgage-backed securities and subprime mortgages of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The last interesting argument for the cause of the bubble is housing starts and land-use regulations, which I want to discuss further.
THE HOUSING BUBBLE In assessing the causes of the housing bubbles, many scholars have focused on the demand-side factors, such as low interest rates, zero down payments, and easy lending terms. However, as Randal O’Toole argues, the demand-side factors were more or less equal across all states, but a more severe bubble was observed in a few states (O’Toole 188-192). O’Toole argues that land-use regulation was the most important factor in the housing bubble of 2006. He supports this argument by finding a strong correlation between growth management planning and housing bubbles (O’Toole 193-205). Although the land regulations have played an enormous role in