CityLab
Buying Your First Home? A Look at 20-Year Trends
There are fewer people buying a first-home these days, but of those entering the real estate market, more are unmarried, Asian, or Hispanic.
In the Media
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Los Angeles Times
Seniors facing eviction fear homelessness and isolation as California’s housing crisis rolls on
Seniors who depend on a fixed income have a harder time weathering rent increases – 35% of California renters ages 65 to 79 spend more than half their income on housing, rising to 42% for 80+
The Seattle Times
How much easier was it for baby boomers to buy a home in Seattle? Let’s adjust for inflation
Today, the typical sale price of an existing single-family home in the Seattle area is 5.7 times greater than the median household income, up from 2.5 times in 1988.
Salon
No cushion for the Trump recession: Why this one could be worse than 2008
An increasing share of renters over the past decade and rapidly rising rents are marks of an incomplete recovery from the last recession.
HousingWire
First-time homebuyers are changing
Researchers found that in the past 20 years, there has been a significant shift from married households to never-married households among first-time homebuyers.
Associated Press
More affordable housing options encouraged under Oregon bill
Oregon hopes to build its way out of its housing crisis under first-in-the-nation state legislation signed by Gov. Kate Brown Thursday meant to encourage local cities to construct denser, more affordable housing options.
HousingWire
Former Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton: Trump's Treasury says GSE reform has "mostly happened"
Donald Layton, who stepped down as the CEO of Freddie Mac a month ago, is providing some insight into the Trump administration’s view on GSE reform from his new perch at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Bloomberg
California Struggles to Sprawl in an Environmentally Responsible Way
A development 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles will provide necessary housing but may increase emissions.
The Wall Street Journal
Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class
The number of households that have inflation-adjusted annual incomes of $100,000 or greater but are renters nearly doubled from 2006 to 2016, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
CNN
As a child, rent control kept a roof over my head
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders describes how the combination of skyrocketing rents and stagnant renters’ incomes has produced and maintained the affordable housing crisis.
Our Mission
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies strives to improve equitable access to decent, affordable homes in thriving communities. We conduct rigorous research to advance policy and practice, and we bring together diverse stakeholders to spark new ideas for addressing housing challenges. Through teaching and fellowships, we mentor and inspire the next generation of housing leaders.
