The real estate market is a complex network of people and businesses that trade properties, including homes, offices, and industrial sites. The market is influenced by several factors, including economic conditions and interest rates. It’s important for real estate professionals to understand how the market works to make informed decisions about purchasing or selling property.
Real estate is immobile, meaning that once it’s built on, it’s hard to move from one place to another (except for mobile housing units). As a result, real estate markets are often modelled as “stock and flow” markets, where the stock is the existing building inventory and the flow is new development.
Investors buy and sell real estate in order to generate income, such as from rent payments or rental returns. Individuals can invest in real estate by directly buying and holding property or through real estate investment trusts (REITs).
A real estate’s value and demand is influenced by the economy, interest rates, and other external factors. For example, higher interest rates reduce buyers’ buying power by increasing the cost of mortgage loans. On the other hand, lower interest rates expand demand and boost prices. In addition, legislation and government incentives, such as tax deductions or subsidies, can boost demand for a particular type of real estate. This makes it important for investors to be aware of current and past government incentives to identify changes in real estate supply and demand. As a consequence, real estate prices are subject to fluctuations, and the market is a risky investment.