An Empirical Study on Bubbles in the Housing Markets

This study examines the monthly real house price index movements over the period 1986-2023 using the GSADF method to determine whether bubbles existed in the Korean housing market, where they occurred, when they occurred, and how long they lasted by housing type (total, apartment, detached house, and townhouse). We summarise the main findings from our empirical analysis as follows. First, there were multiple bubbles in housing prices across the nationwide, Seoul, and all provincial metropolitan areas. However, there are many differences in how bubbles occurred across regions and types of housing. Second, the post-bubble period lasted much longer in the detached house market than in the apartment and row house markets. Third, many housing market bubbles occurred during periods of abundant liquidity. Fourth, while most bubbles are positive, appearing during periods of rapid house price appreciation, negative bubbles appeared in some areas (Busan, Gwangju, and Ulsan) during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. Fifth, the detached house markets in Busan and Ulsan are found to be bubbling at the end of the sample (December 2023). These results suggest that the GSADF test can not only detect historical bubble periods, but can also detect bubbles in real time, providing early warning of bubbles.