In contrast to the prediction of the present-value model, many empirical studies find the price-rent ratio nonstationary. This finding is frequently interpreted as evidence of speculative bubbles. In this paper, we seek an alternative explanation. Allowing the expectations of future housing...

The most recent boom-bust episode in the housing market and its unprecedented negative repercussions on the overall economy led to a debate on its possible causes. The common assumption underlying the debate is that interest rates were the main driver of the bubble in house prices. However the...