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Do long-distance moves discourage homeownership? Evidence from England

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  • Ha, Sejeong
  • Hilber, Christian A. L.
  • Schöni, Olivier

Abstract

We hypothesize that as the distance of a residential move increases, the amount and quality of information collected on the destination housing market fall. This in turn increases the chances of making an ill-informed housing purchase decision, thus reducing the likelihood of such a purchase. Using data from the Survey of English Housing from 1993 to 2008, we document that, consistent with our prior, households moving over long distances – defined as 50 miles or more – have, on average, a 5.5 percentage point lower probability of owning their next home compared to shorter-distance movers. We also provide evidence consistent with the views that long-distance movers (i) are aware that they possess less and/or lower quality information and (ii) are more likely, especially if they are renters, to move again quickly after presumably having accrued better information on the property and local area.

Suggested Citation

  • Ha, Sejeong & Hilber, Christian A. L. & Schöni, Olivier, 2021. "Do long-distance moves discourage homeownership? Evidence from England," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 108928, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
  • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:108928
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    Cited by:

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    2. Cheshire, Paul & Hilber, Christian A.L. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2018. "Empty homes, longer commutes: The unintended consequences of more restrictive local planning," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 126-151.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    residential mobility; distance of residential relocation; information cost; ownership risk; homeownership; tenure choice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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