U.S.-China Real Estate Markets in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

In 2020, the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. This has had an extremely serious impact on the global economy. All industries have been greatly affected by such a severe economic situation. This paper assumes that the real estate market, as a part of the economic market, was also greatly affected. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects that the real estate markets in China and the United States have suffered under this pandemic and to analyze the specific reasons and motivations behind these effects. Using statistical data from 2017 to 2022, this paper compares housing prices and transaction volumes in six major cities in China and the United States. The results of the study show a result contrary to the hypothesis that the real estate markets in China and the United States recovered after a period of recession and were able to reach higher levels than before the epidemic. Based on this result, the paper analyzes the causes of the impact on the real estate markets in China and the United States. There is evidence that the main causes affecting the Chinese real estate market are real estate policies and cultural phenomena, while the factors behind the impact on the U.S. real estate market are economic policies and epidemic management strategies.