Editorial

Richard Reed (Faculty of Business & Law, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis

ISSN: 1753-8270

Article publication date: 3 August 2015

122

Citation

Reed, R. (2015), "Editorial", International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 8 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-05-2015-0024

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Volume 8, Issue 3

Introduction from the Editor

Welcome to the third issue in the eighth volume of the International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis. The journal continues to improve the quality of research published as we have been strategically focused on encouraging the submission of original research which is an original contribution to knowledge about global housing markets. The unique approach of the journal towards “international” housing markets should encourage authors to submit papers knowing that this publication is highly respected and does not target a specific housing market. The papers in this issue are a valid indication of the sustained quality and are highly ranked by the academic peers and housing market stakeholders.

This issue includes seven diverse papers relating to common discipline of housing market analysis. The first paper examines the association between sustainability and house prices in Belfast, Ireland. It uses a hedonic approach to examine 3,797 residential sales and investigate the relationship between energy performance certificates (EPCs) and house prices. The findings show a small but positive relationship between better energy performance and higher selling prices in this emerging but under-researched area. The second paper questions to what extent housing markets are related to the employment level in the Czech Republic. The study used monthly survey data with questions about housing tenure and other related information which referred to 14 regions over an eight-year period. It concluded that a higher rate of home ownership may impair a labour market functioning on a regional level.

The third paper compares the preferences of property practitioners and residential consumers towards house prices in Jakarta, Indonesia. The study involved 134 property practitioners and 277 residents who compared 45 housing attributes. It was concluded there are discrepancies between the alternative views of each cohort where the findings assist to provide a better understanding of stakeholder perceptions. The fourth paper examines the effect of land tenure on housing values in Kampala, Uganda. It used a hedonic model to test the relationship between housing prices, housing attributes and land tenure for 590 new houses and found the value of leasehold housing is 23 per cent higher than freehold housing. It was suggested this difference was because of inefficiencies in the marketplace, such as the lack of information about the benefits of freehold ownership, as well as a lack of formal systems for assessing the leasehold premium and ground rent charge.

The fifth paper investigates the determinants of housing supply, as well as the relationship between land supply and housing supply in Shanghai, China. Using a regression analysis, the study showed that land supply affects housing supply accompanied by a three-year time lag. In additional to other findings detailed in the paper, overall, the paper makes a valid contribution to an improved understanding by the local government towards managing land supply more efficiently. The sixth paper examines the housing experiences of Fijian residents in Auckland, New Zealand by surveying both owner-occupiers and renters who emigrated from Fiji concerning their perceptions. The findings confirmed that there was a high level of both home ownership and satisfaction with their housing tenure. In contrast, the households which rented tended to have lower incomes with some respondents in housing stress, although the majority of renter households aspired to enter the housing market. Most respondents were very satisfied with their local neighbourhood where the findings have important implications for residents which have relocated to Auckland.

The seventh and final paper is focussed on challenges associated with developing higher density and affordable housing in Cape Town, South Africa. The research emphasised the need to provide an appropriate balance between the viability and affordability of the housing product and also to overcome the value versus cost equation. The perception of property developers was investigated using a survey where the findings identified problems associated with ensuring there was an acceptable profit margin for developers. It appeared there was little attention given to housing market economics and the viability of new developments.

The housing markets examined in the seven diverse countries in this issue confirm the original and unique approach of this journal to encouraging research from truly international housing markets. This journal encourages submissions from rapidly developing countries (e.g. India, China), as well as from all other countries. If you are unsure about the suitability of your paper or are interested in submitting a research paper, then please contact the editor direct at mailto:ijhma@ijhma.com. The homepage for the journal including the link for submissions is located at http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/ijhma.htm

Richard Reed
Editor

Related articles