Under the repeat-transactions framework for constructing house price indexes, the paper analyzes the technical challenges associated with producing unbiased price indexes for homes in distinct price tiers. The basic problem is that the “tier” to which a given home truly belongs is...

Trends in residential house values can be expressed by changes in House Price Indexes (HPIs). HPIs are based on observed prices and help guide real estate activities. Since the recent housing crash, distressed sales have increased in numbers and have led to concerns about their effects on market...