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Motivations for Equity Borrowing: A Welfare-switching Effect

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  • Gavin Wood
  • Sharon Parkinson
  • Beverley Searle
  • Susan J. Smith

Abstract

During the early 2000s, mortgage market innovation together with home price appreciation increased the scope for mortgage equity withdrawal. From a macroeconomic perspective, this proved to be an important transmission mechanism for the wealth (particularly collateral) effects of housing. Microeconomic accounts of equity borrowing are less well developed, since standard models of savings and consumption rarely take housing wealth into account. This paper, however, builds on a small but growing literature assigning a precautionary savings role to consumption from housing wealth. The analysis uses panel data sourced from Britain and Australia to model households’ motivations for equity borrowing. Key among these motivations are pressing, uninsurable, ostensibly short-term, spending needs. In these contexts, it is proposed that equity borrowing assumes a welfare-switching role, substituting privately owned housing wealth for collectively funded safety-nets

Suggested Citation

  • Gavin Wood & Sharon Parkinson & Beverley Searle & Susan J. Smith, 2013. "Motivations for Equity Borrowing: A Welfare-switching Effect," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(12), pages 2588-2607, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:50:y:2013:i:12:p:2588-2607
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098013477706
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christopher D. Carroll & Karen E. Dynan & Spencer D. Krane, 2003. "Unemployment Risk and Precautionary Wealth: Evidence from Households' Balance Sheets," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 85(3), pages 586-604, August.
    2. Andrew Benito, 2009. "Who Withdraws Housing Equity and Why?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 76(301), pages 51-70, February.
    3. Khandani, Amir E. & Lo, Andrew W. & Merton, Robert C., 2013. "Systemic risk and the refinancing ratchet effect," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 29-45.
    4. Atif Mian & Amir Sufi, 2011. "House Prices, Home Equity-Based Borrowing, and the US Household Leverage Crisis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2132-2156, August.
    5. Gavin A. Wood & Peter A. Kemp, 2003. "The Taxation of Australian Landlords: Would the British Tax Treatment of Rental Investments Increase Tax Burdens if Introduced in Australia?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(4), pages 747-765, April.
    6. Sharon Parkinson & Beverley Searle & Susan Smith & Alice Stoakes & Gavin Wood, 2009. "Mortgage Equity Withdrawal in Australia and Britain: Towards a Wealth-fare State?," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 9(4), pages 365-389.
    7. J. Benjamin & P. Chinloy, 2008. "Home Equity, Household Savings and Consumption," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 21-32, July.
    8. John Muellbauer & Anthony Murphy, 2008. "Housing markets and the economy: the assessment," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 24(1), pages 1-33, spring.
    9. Hurst, Erik & Stafford, Frank, 2004. "Home Is Where the Equity Is: Mortgage Refinancing and Household Consumption," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(6), pages 985-1014, December.
    10. Beverley Searle, 2011. "Recession and housing wealth," Journal of Financial Economic Policy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(1), pages 33-48, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Declan French & Donal McKillop & Tripti Sharma, 2017. "Analysis of Housing Equity Withdrawal by its Forms," CHaRMS Working Papers 17-04, Centre for HeAlth Research at the Management School (CHaRMS).
    2. Bing Chen & Frank P. Stafford, 2016. "Stock Market Participation: Family Responses to Housing Consumption Commitments," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(4), pages 635-659, June.
    3. Susan J Smith & Melek Cigdem & Rachel Ong & Gavin Wood, 2017. "Wellbeing at the edges of ownership," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(5), pages 1080-1098, May.
    4. Bing Chen & Frank P. Stafford, 2019. "A Farewell to ARMs or Ever Changing Market Segments?," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 649-672, November.
    5. Crommelin, Laura & Troy, Laurence & Martin, Chris & Parkinson, Sharon & Hayward, Richard Donald, 2018. "Technological disruption in private housing markets: the case of Airbnb," SocArXiv cb8z3, Center for Open Science.
    6. Rachel Ong & Gavin A Wood & Melek Cigdem, 2022. "Housing wealth, mortgages and Australians’ labour force participation in later life," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(4), pages 810-833, March.
    7. Nicole Cook & Kristian Ruming, 2021. "The financialisation of housing and the rise of the investor-activist," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(10), pages 2023-2039, August.
    8. Gavin A. Wood & Rachel Ong, 2017. "The Australian Housing System: A Quiet Revolution?," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 50(2), pages 197-204, June.
    9. Beverley Searle, 2011. "Recession and housing wealth," Journal of Financial Economic Policy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(1), pages 33-48, April.

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