CONSTRUCTING HOUSING PRICE INDEX FOR TERRACED PROPERTIES IN JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA

Abstract

Housing is a country’s biggest asset. Hence, the pattern of the housing price index (HPI) is an important topic to gain insight into the housing market while identifying the prevailing housing issues. The determinants of housing price vary for each city and state based on the different characteristics in each location. Accordingly, HPI should consider the property’s quality differences. Besides, national HPI is insufficient and restricted to the housing price at the state level. Thus, the study focused on constructing a specified HPI model for different cities, districts, and states. Effective HPI can give parties a better idea of the current property market situation and act as an analytical tool in managing the sector. Specifically, the study aims to examine the relationship between the heterogeneity housing attributes and housing prices of the terraced properties in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Additionally, the study provides detailed information on the key determinants of the housing price variation in Johor Bahru. Hedonic price analysis is useful in constructing HPI, expressing housing price as a function of vector property characteristics. Furthermore, HPI is constructed based on the yearly indices and by pooling the data into certain periods. The results show the percentage of variance explained by the factors of HPI for the terraced properties in Johor Bahru. Correspondingly, the underlying correlation between the tested housing attributes with the housing price is explained through the analysis results.