IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/reesec/v50y2022i3p707-742.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diffused effort, asset heterogeneity, and real estate brokerage

Author

Listed:
  • Zhaohui Li
  • Qiang Li
  • Hua Sun
  • Li Sun

Abstract

We generalize the classic Williams (1998, Review of Financial Studies, 11, 239–280) brokerage model by introducing diffused effort and asset heterogeneity. The term “diffused effort” refers to the fact that an agent can cross‐utilize effort spending on one listing to another . One counterintuitive finding in Williams' paper is the absence of the agency problem . As a special case in our model, we recover the agency problem. We demonstrate the positive externality due to the diffused effort and show it depends on the agent's inventory size. Hence, there is a trade‐off between agents' effort committed to existing listings and expanding network size by soliciting new listings.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhaohui Li & Qiang Li & Hua Sun & Li Sun, 2022. "Diffused effort, asset heterogeneity, and real estate brokerage," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(3), pages 707-742, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:reesec:v:50:y:2022:i:3:p:707-742
    DOI: 10.1111/1540-6229.12341
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6229.12341
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1540-6229.12341?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Steven D. Levitt & Chad Syverson, 2008. "Market Distortions When Agents Are Better Informed: The Value of Information in Real Estate Transactions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(4), pages 599-611, November.
    2. Williams, Joseph T, 1998. "Agency and Brokerage of Real Assets in Competitive Equilibrium," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 11(2), pages 239-280.
    3. Thomas S. Zorn & James E. Larsen, 1986. "The Incentive Effects of Flat‐Fee and Percentage Commissions for Real Estate Brokers," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 14(1), pages 24-47, March.
    4. Laussel, Didier & Le Breton, Michel, 2001. "Conflict and Cooperation: The Structure of Equilibrium Payoffs in Common Agency," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 93-128, September.
    5. Ronald Rutherford & Thomas Springer & Abdullah Yavas, 2007. "Evidence of Information Asymmetries in the Market for Residential Condominiums," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 23-38, July.
    6. Monika Piazzesi & Martin Schneider & Johannes Stroebel, 2020. "Segmented Housing Search," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(3), pages 720-759, March.
    7. Rutherford, R.C. & Springer, T.M. & Yavas, A., 2005. "Conflicts between principals and agents: evidence from residential brokerage," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 627-665, June.
    8. Yavas Abdullah, 1995. "Can Brokerage Have an Equilibrium Selection Role?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 17-37, January.
    9. Thomas Miceli & Katherine Pancak & C. Sirmans, 2007. "Is the Compensation Model for Real Estate Brokers Obsolete?," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 7-22, July.
    10. Anglin, Paul M & Arnott, Richard, 1991. "Residential Real Estate Brokerage as a Principal-Agent Problem," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 99-125, June.
    11. Han, Lu & Hong, Seung-Hyun, 2011. "Testing Cost Inefficiency Under Free Entry in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 29(4), pages 564-578.
    12. Michael A. Arnold, 1992. "The Principal‐Agent Relationship in Real Estate Brokerage Services," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 20(1), pages 89-106, March.
    13. Xun Bian & Geoffrey K. Turnbull & Bennie D. Waller, 2017. "Client Externality Effects of Agents Selling Their Own Properties," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 139-164, February.
    14. Bian, Xun & Waller, Bennie D. & Turnbull, Geoffrey K. & Wentland, Scott A., 2015. "How many listings are too many? Agent inventory externalities and the residential housing market," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 130-143.
    15. Geltner, David M. & Kluger, Brian D. & Miller, Norman G., 1992. "Incentive commissions in residential real estate brokerage," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 139-158, June.
    16. Han, Lu & Strange, William C., 2015. "The Microstructure of Housing Markets," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 813-886, Elsevier.
    17. Keith Ihlanfeldt & Tom Mayock, 2012. "Information, Search, and House Prices: Revisited," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 90-115, January.
    18. Lynn Fisher & Abdullah Yavas, 2010. "A Case for Percentage Commission Contracts: The Impact of a “Race” Among Agents," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 1-13, January.
    19. Geoffrey Turnbull & Jonathan Dombrow, 2007. "Individual Agents, Firms, and the Real Estate Brokerage Process," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 57-76, July.
    20. Ying Li & Abdullah Yavas, 2015. "Residential Brokerage in Hot and Cold Markets," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 1-21, July.
    21. Hua Sun & Seow Ong, 2014. "Bidding Heterogeneity, Signaling Effect and its Implications on House Seller’s Pricing Strategy," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 568-597, November.
    22. Yinger, John, 1981. "A Search Model of Real Estate Broker Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(4), pages 591-605, September.
    23. Yavas, Abdullah, 1995. "Seller-Broker Relationship as a Double Moral Hazard Problem," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 244-263, September.
    24. Raymond Brastow & Thomas Springer & Bennie Waller, 2012. "Efficiency and Incentives in Residential Brokerage," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 1041-1061, November.
    25. Panle Jia Barwick & Parag A. Pathak, 2015. "The costs of free entry: an empirical study of real estate agents in Greater Boston," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(1), pages 103-145, March.
    26. Thomas J. Miceli, 1991. "The Multiple Listing Service, Commission Splits, and Broker Effort," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 19(4), pages 548-566, December.
    27. Williams, Joseph T, 1995. "Pricing Real Assets with Costly Search," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(1), pages 55-90.
    28. Lu Han & Seung-Hyun Hong, 2016. "Understanding in-house transactions in the real estate brokerage industry," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 47(4), pages 1057-1086, November.
    29. Thomas J. Miceli, 1989. "The Optimal Duration of Real Estate Listing Contracts," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 17(3), pages 267-277, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Han, Lu & Strange, William C., 2015. "The Microstructure of Housing Markets," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 813-886, Elsevier.
    2. Xun Bian & Bennie D. Waller & Abdullah Yavas, 2017. "Commission Splits in Real Estate Transactions," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 165-187, February.
    3. Daniel Broxterman & Tingyu Zhou, 2023. "Information Frictions in Real Estate Markets: Recent Evidence and Issues," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 66(2), pages 203-298, February.
    4. Peng Liu & Jia Xie, 2021. "Optimal Contract Design in Residential Brokerage," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 49(2), pages 493-530, June.
    5. Geoffrey K. Turnbull & Bennie D. Waller & Scott A. Wentland, 2022. "Mitigating agency costs in the housing market," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(3), pages 829-861, September.
    6. Luis Arturo Lopez, 2021. "Asymmetric information and personal affiliations in brokered housing transactions," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 49(2), pages 459-492, June.
    7. Lynn Fisher & Abdullah Yavas, 2010. "A Case for Percentage Commission Contracts: The Impact of a “Race” Among Agents," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 1-13, January.
    8. Lingxiao Li & Abdullah Yavas, 2015. "The Impact of a Multiple Listing Service," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 43(2), pages 471-506, June.
    9. Ying Li & Abdullah Yavas, 2015. "Residential Brokerage in Hot and Cold Markets," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 1-21, July.
    10. John D. Benjamin & G. Donald Jud & G. Stacy Sirmans, 2000. "What Do We Know About Real Estate Brokerage?," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 20(1), pages 5-30.
    11. John D. Benjamin & G. Donald Jud & G. Stacy Sirmans, 2000. "Real Estate Brokerage and the Hosting Market: An Annotated Bibliography," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 20(1), pages 217-278.
    12. David Scofield & Jia Xie, 2023. "Network Formation and Effects: Observations from U.S. Commercial Real Estate Markets," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 66(2), pages 487-504, February.
    13. Timothy E. Jares & James E. Larsen & Thomas S. Zorn, 2000. "An Optimal Incentive System For Real Estate Agents," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 20(1), pages 49-59.
    14. Jia Xie, 2022. "Importance of Professional Networks in Trade: Evidence from Real Estate Market," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(3), pages 882-900, September.
    15. Bian, Xun & Waller, Bennie D. & Turnbull, Geoffrey K. & Wentland, Scott A., 2015. "How many listings are too many? Agent inventory externalities and the residential housing market," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 130-143.
    16. Thomas J. Emmerling & Abdullah Yavas & Yildiray Yildirim, 2021. "To accept or not to accept: Optimal strategy for sellers in real estate," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 49(S1), pages 268-296, March.
    17. Jonathan Wiley & Justin Benefield & Marcus Allen, 2014. "Cyclical Determinants of Brokerage Commission Rates," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 196-219, January.
    18. Ronald Rutherford & Thomas Springer & Abdullah Yavas, 2007. "Evidence of Information Asymmetries in the Market for Residential Condominiums," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 23-38, July.
    19. Seung‐Hyun Hong, 2022. "Real estate agents' influence on housing search," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(3), pages 563-582, April.
    20. Xun Bian & Geoffrey K. Turnbull & Bennie D. Waller, 2017. "Client Externality Effects of Agents Selling Their Own Properties," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 139-164, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:reesec:v:50:y:2022:i:3:p:707-742. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/areueea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.