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The Price of Aesthetic Externalities

Author

Listed:
  • Steven C. BOURASSA

    (School of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville)

  • Martin HOESLI

    (HEC-University of Geneva, FAME, and University of Aberdeen (School of Business))

  • Jian SUN

    (School of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville)

Abstract

This paper explores the prices of three aesthetic externalities (the presence of a water view, the appearance of nearby improvements, and the quality of landscaping in the neighborhood) in residential property markets. In particular, we focus on how the implicit prices of such characteristics change with the residential real estate cycle. Given that the supply of these attributes is limited, one would expect their implicit prices to vary with the real estate cycle, contrary to what would be expected for the prices of property characteristics that are in relatively elastic supply. We also examine how the price premium for a water view varies across cities with the supply of such views. The empirical analyses are performed using hedonic models and a rich database of all residential sales transactions from 1986 to 1996 for the three largest urban areas in New Zealand—Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington. Our results suggest that implicit prices of the aesthetic externalities move with the real estate cycle. We find also that the percentage premiums for water views are greatest in Christchurch, which has the smallest percentage of properties with water views, and lowest in Wellington, which has the highest percentage of properties with views. A good understanding of the impact of these variables is important for the valuation of residential properties.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven C. BOURASSA & Martin HOESLI & Jian SUN, 2003. "The Price of Aesthetic Externalities," FAME Research Paper Series rp98, International Center for Financial Asset Management and Engineering.
    • Handle: RePEc:fam:rpseri:rp98
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    File URL: http://www.swissfinanceinstitute.ch/rp98.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Thorsnes, 2002. "The Value of a Suburban Forest Preserve: Estimates from Sales of Vacant Residential Building Lots," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 78(3), pages 426-441.
    2. Benson, Earl D & Hansen, Julia L. & Schwartz Jr., Arthur & Smersh, Greg T., 1998. "Pricing Residential Amenities: The Value of a View," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 55-73, January.
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    5. François Des Rosiers & Marius Thériault & Yan Kestens & Paul Villeneuve, 2002. "Landscaping and House Values: An Empirical Investigation," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 23(1/2), pages 139-162.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Monique DANTAS & Frédéric GASCHET & Guillaume POUYANNE, 2010. "Regulatory zoning and coastal housing prices: a bayesian hedonic approach (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2010-12, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    2. Chun-Chang Lee & Chih-Min Liang & Cheng-Huang Tung & Yu-Jian Lu, 2018. "The Impact of Luxury Housing on Neighborhood Housing Prices in Taipei City," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 8(10), pages 1211-1225, October.
    3. Mario A. González-Corzo, 2005. "Housing Cooperatives: Possible Roles in Havana's Residential Sector," Annual Proceedings, The Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, vol. 15.
    4. Guillaume POUYANNE (GREThA-GRES), 2008. "Economics of discontinuous urban development (In French)," Cahiers du GRES (2002-2009) 2008-06, Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales.
    5. Tom Gillespie & Stephen Hynes & Ronan C Lyons, 2018. "Picture or Playground: Valuing Coastal Amenities," Trinity Economics Papers tep0518, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2019.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    hedonic models; aesthetic externalities; views; real estate valuation; New Zealand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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