IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joecag/v17y2020ics2212828x20300426.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are homeownership patterns stable enough to tap home equity?

Author

Listed:
  • Munnell, Alicia H.
  • Walters, Abigail N.
  • Belbase, Anek
  • Hou, Wenliang

Abstract

As retirees live longer, spend more on medical care, and get less income replaced by Social Security, many may need to consider tapping their home equity to be comfortable in retirement. The most direct way to access home equity is downsizing, but few choose this option because they generally prefer to stay in their house. The alternative is withdrawing equity through a reverse mortgage or a property tax deferral, but few households use these options either. While this low take-up has been well documented, a more fundamental question is the extent to which homeowners exhibit sufficient stability in their housing patterns to make them well-suited to tap their equity. For example, if homeowners do tap their equity and then end up moving, they have to pay back the loan with interest, which could leave them with inadequate resources at a vulnerable time in their life. This paper assesses how likely households are to move as they age to see if borrowing against one’s home is a reasonable financial strategy. The analysis uses the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to analyze three cohorts: the HRS cohort (ages 50–54 in 1992), the AHEAD cohort (ages 70–74 in 1993), and a synthetic cohort covering the whole lifespan from age 50 to death. The analysis identifies typical housing trajectories in retirement and explores how often, and for whom, tapping home equity would be a viable strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Munnell, Alicia H. & Walters, Abigail N. & Belbase, Anek & Hou, Wenliang, 2020. "Are homeownership patterns stable enough to tap home equity?," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joecag:v:17:y:2020:i:c:s2212828x20300426
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2020.100277
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212828X20300426
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jeoa.2020.100277?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
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Norma B. Coe & April Yanyuan Wu, 2012. "Geographic Mobility Among Residents in Seniors Housing and Care Communities: Evidence from the Residents Financial Survey," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2012-9, Center for Retirement Research, revised Apr 2012.
    2. Thomas Davidoff, 2015. "Can "High Costs" Justify Weak Demand for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage?," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 28(8), pages 2364-2398.
    3. David A. Wise, 1989. "The Economics of Aging," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number wise89-1, March.
    4. Jonathan D. Fisher & David S. Johnson & Joseph T. Marchand & Timothy M. Smeeding & Barbara Boyle Torrey, 2007. "No Place Like Home: Older Adults and Their Housing," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(2), pages 120-128.
    5. Calvo, Esteban & Haverstick, Kelly & Zhivan, Natalia, 2009. "Determinants and Consequences of Moving Decisions for Older Homeowners," MPRA Paper 48964, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Steven F. Venti & David A. Wise, 1989. "Aging, Moving, and Housing Wealth," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Aging, pages 9-54, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Norma B. Coe & April Yanyuan Wu, 2012. "Financial Well-being of Residents in Seniors Housing and Care Communities: Evidence from the Residents Financial Survey," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2012-7, Center for Retirement Research, revised Apr 2012.
    8. Lee M. Lockwood, 2018. "Incidental Bequests and the Choice to Self-Insure Late-Life Risks," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(9), pages 2513-2550, September.
    9. Alicia H. Munnell & Anek Belbase & Wenliang Hou & Abigail Walters, 2017. "Property Tax Deferral: A Proposal to Help Massachusetts Seniors," Issues in Brief ib2017-19, Center for Retirement Research.
    10. Norma B. Coe & April Yanyuan Wu, 2012. "Costs and Concerns Among Residents in Seniors Housing and Care Communities: Evidence from the Residents Financial Survey," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2012-8, Center for Retirement Research, revised Aug 2012.
    11. Andrew Abbott, 1990. "A Primer on Sequence Methods," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(4), pages 375-392, November.
    12. Steven F. Venti & David A. Wise, 2004. "Aging and Housing Equity: Another Look," NBER Chapters, in: Perspectives on the Economics of Aging, pages 127-180, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Jonathan Feinstein & Daniel McFadden, 1989. "The Dynamics of Housing Demand by the Elderly: Wealth, Cash Flow, and Demographic Effects," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Aging, pages 55-92, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Florian Heiss & Michael Hurd & Axel Borsch-Supan, 2003. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Knowing Where to Live: Predicted Trajectories of Health, Wealth and Living Arrangements Among the Oldest Old," NBER Working Papers 9897, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Barbara A. Butrica & Richard W. Johnson & Joshua H. Goldwyn, 2005. "Understanding Expenditure Patterns in Retirement," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2005-3, Center for Retirement Research, revised Jan 2005.
    16. Norma B. Coe & April Yanjuan Wu, 2012. "Residents in Seniors Housing and Care Communities: Overview of the Residents Financial Survey," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2012-6, Center for Retirement Research, revised Apr 2012.
    17. David A. Wise, 2004. "Perspectives on the Economics of Aging," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number wise04-1, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Begley, Jaclene & Chan, Sewin, 2022. "Next to kin: How children influence the residential mobility decisions of older adults," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    2. Murray, Tim & Dunn, Richard A., 2022. "Household production, home improvement, and housing investment among older Americans," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).

    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. Murray, Tim, 2019. "Defined benefit pensions and homeownership in the post-Great Recession era," MPRA Paper 92601, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Tim Murray, 2018. "Do Potential Future Health Shocks Keep Older Americans from Using Their Housing Equity?," 2018 Papers pmu533, Job Market Papers.
    3. Murray, Tim & Dunn, Richard A., 2022. "Household production, home improvement, and housing investment among older Americans," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    4. Masatomo Suzuki & Yasushi Asami, 2020. "Shrinking housing market, long-term vacancy, and withdrawal from housing market," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 619-638, October.
    5. Jonathan Skinner, 2007. "Are You Sure You're Saving Enough for Retirement?," NBER Working Papers 12981, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Chunil Kim & Hyobi Choi & Yeol Choi, 2021. "Retirement Age and Housing Consumption: The Case of South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, January.
    7. Jan Rouwendal & Marcus de Graaf, 2012. "The demand for mortgage debt, increases in house prices and the elderly home equity puzzle," ERSA conference papers ersa12p950, European Regional Science Association.
    8. Costa-Font, Joan & Vilaplana-Prieto, Cristina, 2022. "Health shocks and housing downsizing: How persistent is ‘ageing in place’?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 490-508.
    9. Ralph Stevens & Jennifer Alonso Garcia & Hazel Bateman & Arthur van Soest & Johan Bonekamp, 2022. "Saving preferences after retirement," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/342267, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    10. Esteban Calvo & Kelly Haverstick & Natalia A. Zhivan, 2009. "Older Americans On The Go: Financial and Psychological Effects of Moving," Issues in Brief ib2009-9-19, Center for Retirement Research, revised 2009.
    11. Yogo, Motohiro, 2016. "Portfolio choice in retirement: Health risk and the demand for annuities, housing, and risky assets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 17-34.
    12. Gary V. Engelhardt & Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley, 2008. "Public Long-Term Care Insurance and the Housing and Living Arrangements of the Elderly: Evidence from Medicare Home Health Benefits," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2008-15, Center for Retirement Research, revised Dec 2008.
    13. Chiang, Shu Ling & Tsai, Ming Shann, 2016. "Analyzing an elder’s desire for a reverse mortgage using an economic model that considers house bequest motivation, random death time and stochastic house price," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 202-219.
    14. Engelhardt, Gary V. & Greenhalgh-Stanley, Nadia, 2010. "Home health care and the housing and living arrangements of the elderly," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 226-238, March.
    15. Todd M. Sinai & Nicholas S. Souleles, 2007. "Net worth and housing equity in retirement," Working Papers 07-33, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    16. Engelhardt, Gary V. & Eriksen, Michael D., 2022. "Homeownership in old age and at the time of death," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    17. Kelly Haverstick & Natalia A. Zhivan, 2009. "Older Americans On The Go: How Often, Where, and Why?," Issues in Brief ib2009-9-18, Center for Retirement Research, revised Sep 2009.
    18. Eriksen, Michael D. & Greenhalgh-Stanley, Nadia & Engelhardt, Gary V., 2015. "Home safety, accessibility, and elderly health: Evidence from falls," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 14-24.
    19. Mariacristina De Nardi & Eric French & John Bailey Jones, 2016. "Savings After Retirement: A Survey," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 8(1), pages 177-204, October.
    20. Engelhardt, Gary V., 2008. "Social security and elderly homeownership," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 280-305, January.

    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:eee:joecag:v:17:y:2020:i:c:s2212828x20300426. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-journal-of-the-economics-of-ageing .

    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.