Research

Working Papers

"Work from Home and the Geography of House Prices"

Abstract: I quantify the impact of remote work on the geography of house prices. I overcome challenges in measurement and endogeneity using an instrumental variables strategy paired with pre- and post-COVID data on remote work. I find that a one-percentage-point increase in metro remote work results in $10,500 of additional price growth for a median-distance suburb over a central neighborhood of average initial price, which represents $126,000 at average remote work growth. This profound shift in the distribution of home value stands to increase wealth inequality. Draft version.


"The Push of Big City Prices and the Pull of Small Town Amenities" with Jeffrey Brinkman (Philadelphia Fed) and Svyatoslav Karnasevych (Princeton)

Abstract: As house prices rise in large, supply-constrained cities, what are the implications for other places that have room to grow? We explore how location amenities have differentially driven population and price dynamics in small towns versus big cities. We provide theory and evidence that demand for high-amenity locations has increased. High-amenity counties in large metropolitan areas have experienced price increases, while high-amenity counties in small metros and rural areas have absorbed increased demand through population growth. High-income and college-educated workers sort into large and high-amenity places, while retirees and other households detached from local productivity gravitate to high-amenity small towns. Draft version.

Works in Progress

"Job Access and Low-Income Suburbanization"

"Does Homeownership Matter? The Long-Term Consequences of Losing a House During the Great Recession" with Patrick Bayer (Duke), Fernando Ferreira (Wharton), and Stephen Ross (UConn)

"College Alumni Networks and Mobility Across Local Labor Markets" with Richard Jin (Berkeley)

"Investor Markups in Residential Real Estate" with Gillian Meyer (Wharton)