What Happened to the East German Housing Market? – A Historical Perspective on the Role of Public Funding –
Claus Michelsen, Dominik Weiß
IWH Discussion Papers,
Nr. 20,
2009
Abstract
The paper analyses the development of the East German housing market after the reunification of the former German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. We analyse the dynamics of the East German housing market within the framework of the well-known stock-flow model, proposed by DiPasquale and Wheaton. We show that the today observable disequilibrium to a large extend is caused by post-unification housing policy and its strong fiscal incentives to invest into the housing stock. Moreover, in line with the stylized empirical facts, we show that ‘hidden reserves’ of the housing market were reactivated since the economy of East Germany became market organized. Since initial undersupply was overcome faster than politicians expected, the implemented fiscal stimuli were too strong. In contrast to the widespread opinion that outward migration caused the observable vacancies, this paper shows that not weakness of demand but supply side policies caused the observable disequilibrium.
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Keeping the Bubble Alive! The Effects of Urban Renewal and Demolition Subsidies in the East German Housing Market
Dominik Weiß
IWH Discussion Papers,
Nr. 11,
2009
Abstract
German urban renewal programs are favoring the cities in the Eastern part since the re-unification in 1990. This was accompanied additionally by attractive tax incentives, designed as an accelerated declining balance method of depreciation for housing investments during the late 1990s. The accumulated needs for comfortable housing after 40 years of a disastrous housing policy of the GDR era were generally accepted as justification for the subvention policy. But various subsidies and tax incentives caused a construction boom, false allocations, and a price bubble in Eastern Germany. After recognizing that the expansion of housing supply was not in line with the demographic development and that high vacancy rates were jeopardizing housing companies and their financial backers, policy changed in 2001. Up to now, the government provides demolition grants to reduce the vast oversupply. By means of a real option approach, it is ex-plained how different available forms of subsidies and economic incentives for landlords lift real estate values. The option value representing growth expectations and opportunities is calculated as an observable market value less an estimated fundamental value. Empirical results disclose higher option premiums for cities in Eastern Germany and a strong correlation of the option premium with urban renewal spending.
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Mietpreise und Lebensqualität: Ist das Wohnen in Ostdeutschland wirklich günstig?
Dominik Weiß
IWH Discussion Papers,
Nr. 12,
2008
Abstract
Das Mietniveau zwischen Westdeutschland und Ostdeutschland unterscheidet sich im Durchschnitt um weniger als einen Euro. Dieser geringe Unterschied ist angesichts der wirtschaftlichen Schwäche und der hohen Leerstandsrate in Ostdeutschland erklärungsbedürftig.
An einem Sample deutscher Kommunen wird mit einem hedonischen Regressionsmodell der Einfluss lokaler Ausstattungsmerkmale auf die Mietpreise verschiedener Marktsegmente untersucht. Als erklärende Variablen werden demografische, wohnungsmarktbezogene und ökonomisch-raumstrukturelle Merkmale verwendet. Dabei werden im Modell Thesen über höhere Mietpreise berücksichtigt, die im Zusammenhang mit der transformationsbedingten Anpassung des ostdeutschen Wohnungsmarktes in den 1990er zu sehen sind. Ein zentrales Modellergebnis ist der Hinweis darauf, dass die Bestandssegmente in Ostdeutschland relativ zur Lebensqualität der Stadt überhöhte Mietniveaus aufweisen. Eine genauere Untersuchung der Gründe für diesen Mietpreisaufschlang sind wünschenswert, da weitere Abwanderung aus Ostdeutschland die regionalwirtschaftliche Folge einer zu hohen Miete sein könnte.
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