Remote Work and Housing Demand

Kmetz, Augustus; Mondragon, John; Wieland, Johannes F.

Journal Article

Remote Work and Housing Demand

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the way households work. Nearly a third of employees still worked from home part time or full time as of August 2022. This has significantly increased housing demand and is a key factor explaining why U.S. house prices grew 24% between November 2019 and November 2021. Analysis shows that the shift to remote work may account for more than half of overall house price increases and similar increases in rents. This fundamental evolution in work-related housing demand may be important for future house prices.

Keywords: covid19; remote work; house prices; housing demand;