Introduction from the editor

Citation

Reed, R.G. (2013), "Introduction from the editor", International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 6 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhma.2013.35106caa.001

Introduction from the editor

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Volume 6, Issue 3

Welcome to the third issue in the sixth volume of the International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis. The level of interest in housing market research from an international perspective continues to rise and is partly fuelled by the duel interest in emerging countries and as well as developing countries. This is at a time when developing countries are experiencing unprecedented population growth and are accompanied by a range of new and often exciting challenges. The wider use of technology has assisted the global community to draw closer together. I am very pleased the six papers in this issues are from six different countries including Australia, India, Iran, Korea, Norway and Saudi Arabia which highlights “internationalisation” as its best.

From an editor’s perspective the diverse nature of each country presents an interesting challenge for a high ranked truly international journal such as this. I welcome submissions from developed countries which include high level research as well as increasingly complex problems and challenges whilst retaining a practical perspective and broad application. However, submissions from developing countries are often facing different challenges and also have limited access to reliable data and an in-depth body of existing knowledge about their country. At times these restrictions may previously cause an emerging country paper to be rejected in the journal community in comparison to a developing country paper, however the broader community needs to acknowledge these challenges otherwise papers from developing countries would rarely be published. This journal seeks to address this problem. Contributions to knowledge can be made from every country however it is important that readers, reviewers as well as this editor must acknowledge these differences. When commencing this journal some years back now I recognised this factor from the very beginning and I hope the readership appreciate the diversity and depth of research which contributes to making this journal truly international.

The six papers in this issue are diverse and make a valid contribution to our knowledge about international housing markets. All papers have passed through a double blind refereed process and I would like to thank the large number of hard working reviewers who assist with this critical task. This process ensures all submissions pass though a rigorous review and the feedback to the authors ensures a high level of quality is always maintained.

The first paper is from Iran and titled “Predicting house price via gene expression programming”. The study use a new approach to predict house prices and use gene expressional programming (GEP) to profile the applicability of a derived model based on socio-economic data and surveys conducted in the Hamedan Province, Iran. The authors conclude the GEP based model provides a higher level of performance than a conventional regression model. The second paper titled “Formal housing finance outreach and the urban poor in India” is timely and discusses the urban housing shortage in India between 1981-2011 which increased at an alarming rate of 17.5 percent per year over this period. The study examined potential solutions for addressing the housing shortage including the development of appropriate financial instruments to increasing homeownership levels. However, it also questioned if widespread homeownership was a realistic and viable solution to housing in India or perhaps is only part of the solution.

The third paper is from Australia and builds upon previous research into house price movements between cities over space and time. The methodology incorporated spatial lags into its model to highlight spatial and temporal interconnections between house price movements between Australian capital cities. The findings confirmed spatial correlations exist in housing price dynamics but arguably are more dependent on geographic rather than demographic variables. The fourth paper is titled “Realizing the dream of owning a home: a preliminary study of house purchase financing options for low-income Saudis” and is a rare insight into the housing market in Saudi Arabia. The study is centred on the housing purchase behaviour of low income residents and examines their potential sources of finance as well as their affordability options. It was concluded the government’s Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) was the preferred financing option where the findings provided a rare insight into this under-researched but increasingly important market.

The fifth paper from Korea is titled “Demographic changes and housing demands by scenarios with ASFRs” and analyses critical challenges in this challenges resulting from low fertility rates and an ageing population. An investigation is undertaken into relevant housing policies and the implications for future population trends in Korea. The paper concludes the low fertility rates and high proportion of elderly residents will potentially have a counterbalancing effect on demand for housing. The final paper undertakes a longitudinal analysis of the property market in Norway between 1970 and 2008. The dataset consists of over 24,000 “for rent” advertisements with the findings provides new insights into the rental market in Oslo, Norway. It was concluded a better housing rent indices will assist an understanding of the housing price-rent index.

All six papers have been through a rigorous double-blind refereeing process to ensure the highest quality is maintained. I encourage the submission of research articles examining international housing markets which contribute to our collective body of knowledge in this exciting area. Submitted papers need to be suitably aligned with the objectives of this journal and formatted corrected. If you have any comments or are interested in submitting a research paper then please contact the editor direct at: richard.reed@deakin.edu.au

Richard G. Reed