Research Briefs and Reports:

  • Renters in the San Gabriel Valley, Southeast LA, and parts of the San Fernando Valley are more likely to transition into homeownership. Homeowners in South LA, parts of Southeast LA, and parts of the Antelope Valley are more likely to become renters. Neighborhoods with high homeownership rates, larger household sizes, and more Asian residents drive renter-to-owner transitions, while neighborhoods with high U.S.-born, Black/African American, and fewer college-educated residents drive owner-to-renter shifts. Neighborhoods with pronounced “churning”—where both renters and owners frequently transition—cluster in Harbor, Southeast LA, northern San Fernando Valley, and southeast San Gabriel Valley; other areas show greater stability.

    For full brief click HERE

  • With over 34,000 acres burned and losses totaling $325 million, the Bastrop County Complex Fire remains the most destructive wildfire in Texas history. What can communities around Texas and the country learn from Bastrop?

    For full brief click HERE

  • Eighty-five percent of Texas fires ignite within two miles of a community, and economic exposure is projected to increase due to climate change and population growth patterns. There are several ways the population can adapt to higher wildfire risk, including self-protection activities and insurance. Some policies may encourage additional building development in risky areas. The potential to rebuild depends on factors such as underlying demand and the condition of local infrastructure.

    For full brief click HERE

  • More than one of every ten people moving to Texas in 2020 was from California.

    For full brief click HERE

  • The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation’s (Freddie Mac) 30-year fixed rate is widely considered the national benchmark for home-purchase mortgage interest rates.

    For full brief click HERE

  • A sudden, massive wave of residential evictions can have devastating effects on a community. That’s why federal, state, and local governments put measures in place to protect tenants unable to pay rent during recent shelter-in-place orders.

    For full brief click HERE

  • With home sales data yo-yoing month to month, how can anyone make sense of what’s happening in the market? The answer is much simpler than you might expect.

    For full brief click HERE

  • According to sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, a robot can neither harm a human nor disobey a human’s orders. They can, however, perform more and more jobs once handled by people. Welcome to the 21st century.

    For full brief click HERE

  • In recent years, Texas has welcomed a steady flow of international immigrants—not just from Mexico but from as far away as India, China, and the Philippines. Read how these new neighbors are changing the face of Texas and brining diverse skills to the workforce.

    For full brief click HERE

  • Houston has adopted new building regulations intended to protect homes in the city’s most flood-prone areas. The regulations will increase new-home construction costs, but they could also have human and economic benefits. Whether those benefits will outweigh the cost increases is the big unknown.

    For full brief click HERE

  • For the past six years, new-home inventories in Texas have been well below what’s considered a balanced market, and there is no easy fix. A myriad of factors—including rising land prices and supply costs, sluggish labor productivity, and new building and financial regulations—are making it difficult for builders to keep up with increasing demand.

    For full brief click HERE

  • Harris County averaged 40 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey, nearly a year’s worth of rainfall. But if you think the storm’s deluge and ensuing floods hurt all Houston neighborhoods equally, think again. A recent Center study finds that lower-income neighborhoods were hit the hardest.

    For full brief click HERE

  • Ten years ago, the United States was in the midst of a subprime-mortgage and ensuing housing crisis. Recessionary pains from the worst downturn since the Great Depression reverberated throughout the country, but a multitude of factors shielded most of the Texas housing market.

    For full brief click HERE

  • Once again the impacts of free trade are at the forefront of international economic discussions. From renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to Brexit, many nations are reanalyzing their views on international trade and globalization.

    For full brief click HERE

  • The loss of manufacturing jobs has been discussed throughout the United States for decades. From 1939 to 2016, U.S. total nonfarm employment more than quadrupled and has continued to expand, while manufacturing employment barely increased by 30 percent.

    For full brief click HERE

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