Alex Hermann
@aherm.bsky.social
Researcher at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Forever Go Blue.
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Happy #MapMonday! Rural home prices soared after the pandemic, by 36% in non-metro counties and fully 47% in vacation counties from 2020–2023, per new work from my @harvard-jchs.bsky.social colleagues @aherm.bsky.social & @pjwhit.bsky.social. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
December 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Happy #MapMonday! Rural home prices soared after the pandemic, by 36% in non-metro counties and fully 47% in vacation counties from 2020–2023, per new work from my @harvard-jchs.bsky.social colleagues @aherm.bsky.social & @pjwhit.bsky.social. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
As a result, home values rose by 47 percent across rural vacation areas. And vacation counties in the West and Northeast saw prices rise even faster, by 51 percent apiece, as these regions hold many of the country’s rural mountain and beach communities.
December 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
As a result, home values rose by 47 percent across rural vacation areas. And vacation counties in the West and Northeast saw prices rise even faster, by 51 percent apiece, as these regions hold many of the country’s rural mountain and beach communities.
Reposted by Alex Hermann
So happy to see this new paper with my colleague @aherm.bsky.social out there! We examine pandemic-era rural home price trends, finding that home prices grew rapidly across rural counties but appreciated fastest in vacation areas. In the paper we explore what was behind this phenomenon. 🧵
A new paper finds that home prices in rural areas increased 36.1% between 2020-2023, but in counties with a high share of vacation and second homes, prices rose even faster at 46.8%. @aherm.bsky.social @pjwhit.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Home Prices Have Risen Rapidly in Rural Vacation Areas
www.jchs.harvard.edu
December 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
So happy to see this new paper with my colleague @aherm.bsky.social out there! We examine pandemic-era rural home price trends, finding that home prices grew rapidly across rural counties but appreciated fastest in vacation areas. In the paper we explore what was behind this phenomenon. 🧵
Reposted by Alex Hermann
What's striking is that vacation counties in every region had stronger price growth than other counties, driven entirely by pandemic demand.
December 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
What's striking is that vacation counties in every region had stronger price growth than other counties, driven entirely by pandemic demand.
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Excited to release our new paper today with my colleague @pjwhit.bsky.social. We examine what types of rural areas had the fastest home price appreciation in the pandemic era. 🧵 www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Home Prices Have Risen Rapidly in Rural Vacation Areas
www.jchs.harvard.edu
December 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Excited to release our new paper today with my colleague @pjwhit.bsky.social. We examine what types of rural areas had the fastest home price appreciation in the pandemic era. 🧵 www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Excited to release our new paper today with my colleague @pjwhit.bsky.social. We examine what types of rural areas had the fastest home price appreciation in the pandemic era. 🧵 www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Home Prices Have Risen Rapidly in Rural Vacation Areas
www.jchs.harvard.edu
December 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Excited to release our new paper today with my colleague @pjwhit.bsky.social. We examine what types of rural areas had the fastest home price appreciation in the pandemic era. 🧵 www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
A new paper finds that home prices in rural areas increased 36.1% between 2020-2023, but in counties with a high share of vacation and second homes, prices rose even faster at 46.8%. @aherm.bsky.social @pjwhit.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Home Prices Have Risen Rapidly in Rural Vacation Areas
www.jchs.harvard.edu
December 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A new paper finds that home prices in rural areas increased 36.1% between 2020-2023, but in counties with a high share of vacation and second homes, prices rose even faster at 46.8%. @aherm.bsky.social @pjwhit.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
I am shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that housing prices fell the most in metros where inventory of homes increased by a lot. via @harvard-jchs.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
September 11, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I am shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that housing prices fell the most in metros where inventory of homes increased by a lot. via @harvard-jchs.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
so are Taylor and Travis going to make their first appearance as an engaged couple at the Nebraska-Cincinnati game at Arrowhead tomorrow
August 27, 2025 at 2:13 PM
so are Taylor and Travis going to make their first appearance as an engaged couple at the Nebraska-Cincinnati game at Arrowhead tomorrow
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Big day today. We’ll find out that Michigan, champions of the 2023 NCAA football season, are indeed still champions of the 2023 NCAA football season
August 15, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Big day today. We’ll find out that Michigan, champions of the 2023 NCAA football season, are indeed still champions of the 2023 NCAA football season
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Pure Michigan ™
Connor Stalions said he got rid of his personal phone in a pond.
August 15, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Pure Michigan ™
Reposted by Alex Hermann
I have obtained a leaked copy of the NCAA Report which, after a thorough investigation, has concluded that Michigan football is "extremely annoying."
August 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I have obtained a leaked copy of the NCAA Report which, after a thorough investigation, has concluded that Michigan football is "extremely annoying."
Reposted by Alex Hermann
High home prices & interest rates have pushed sales to a 30-year low; insurance and property taxes are soaring; high rents have left record numbers with cost burdens; and wildfires have highlighted the dangers of climate disasters.
New report, livestream @ 2pm ET:
mailchi.mp/harvard/son-...
New report, livestream @ 2pm ET:
mailchi.mp/harvard/son-...
June 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
High home prices & interest rates have pushed sales to a 30-year low; insurance and property taxes are soaring; high rents have left record numbers with cost burdens; and wildfires have highlighted the dangers of climate disasters.
New report, livestream @ 2pm ET:
mailchi.mp/harvard/son-...
New report, livestream @ 2pm ET:
mailchi.mp/harvard/son-...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Gen Z represents 47% of recent US renters and as of 2023, there were 9.1 million Gen Z renter households, says @aherm.bsky.social. And they are opting for a new urban way of life: hunkering down in amenity-rich, high-design rental complexes that offer instant community.
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
What Do Gen Z Renters Want? Amenities, Aesthetics and Their Own Mini Universe
We talked to four young people who are changing the game when it comes to renting.
www.wsj.com
May 2, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Gen Z represents 47% of recent US renters and as of 2023, there were 9.1 million Gen Z renter households, says @aherm.bsky.social. And they are opting for a new urban way of life: hunkering down in amenity-rich, high-design rental complexes that offer instant community.
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Here it is!! Just $9.99 plus tax. Also you get a little pizza cutter.
April 30, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Here it is!! Just $9.99 plus tax. Also you get a little pizza cutter.
Tremendous piece. There are many valid critiques of American consumerism, but it's important to think of the ways it's defined us culturally and the benefits/detriments that come along with it. Should really have a positive plan when messing with the "bargain" described here.
New Buying Power: I wrote about how America built the postwar world order and its own society on “consumer choice” and cheap goods, and what happens if Trump strips that out while also gutting the social safety net. Gift link:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Cheap Consumer Goods Are the American Dream, Actually
Trump’s tariffs upend a nearly century-old bargain between politicians and US consumers.
www.bloomberg.com
April 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Tremendous piece. There are many valid critiques of American consumerism, but it's important to think of the ways it's defined us culturally and the benefits/detriments that come along with it. Should really have a positive plan when messing with the "bargain" described here.
Reposted by Alex Hermann
This Wednesday, April 2: What is the impact of investor ownership of single-family rental homes? Our @aherm.bsky.social joins a @bpc-bipartisan.bsky.social conversation about the state of the single-family rental market, opportunities, and challenges.
bipartisanpolicy.org/event/instit...
bipartisanpolicy.org/event/instit...
March 31, 2025 at 5:14 PM
This Wednesday, April 2: What is the impact of investor ownership of single-family rental homes? Our @aherm.bsky.social joins a @bpc-bipartisan.bsky.social conversation about the state of the single-family rental market, opportunities, and challenges.
bipartisanpolicy.org/event/instit...
bipartisanpolicy.org/event/instit...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
I have an essay in this week’s @bloomberg.com Weekend Edition about ticket stubs and memory and how the ways we catalog our own pasts have been changed by the internet. I’m really proud of it and I hope you’ll read it. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
What We Lose When Our Memories Exist Entirely in Our Phones
The act of putting something aside is an exercise in remembering.
www.bloomberg.com
March 7, 2025 at 5:02 PM
I have an essay in this week’s @bloomberg.com Weekend Edition about ticket stubs and memory and how the ways we catalog our own pasts have been changed by the internet. I’m really proud of it and I hope you’ll read it. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
A first-ever analysis of fire death rates in modern four-to-six-story buildings with only one stairway shows that residents are not at greater risk, and such buildings could provide much-needed housing. @pewtrusts.org
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...
Small Single-Stairway Apartment Buildings Have Strong Safety Record
Policymakers could increase the supply of multifamily housing in their states and localities by revising outdated building codes that require more than one stairway in small apartment buildings. If en...
www.pewtrusts.org
March 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM
A first-ever analysis of fire death rates in modern four-to-six-story buildings with only one stairway shows that residents are not at greater risk, and such buildings could provide much-needed housing. @pewtrusts.org
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...
Reposted by Alex Hermann
Median age of homebuyers just hit a new record high of 56
(Via Torsten Slok)
(Via Torsten Slok)
February 21, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Median age of homebuyers just hit a new record high of 56
(Via Torsten Slok)
(Via Torsten Slok)
Reposted by Alex Hermann
I love it when there’s research on something in housing that I hadn’t really thought about before. Seems so obvious once someone says it out loud.
An overlooked group in discussions of rental affordability are households who occupy a unit without payment of rent and in 2023, non-cash renters comprised over 2.1 million of the 45.6 million US renter households. @aherm.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/non-cas...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/non-cas...
Non-Cash Rentals House More than Two Million Renters Affordably
An overlooked group in discussions of rental affordability are households who occupy a unit without payment of rent. Non-cash renters fall into one of
www.jchs.harvard.edu
February 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
I love it when there’s research on something in housing that I hadn’t really thought about before. Seems so obvious once someone says it out loud.
Haven't seen much, if any work, examining who non-cash renters are. Was surprised by what we found so decided to blog about it!
An overlooked group in discussions of rental affordability are households who occupy a unit without payment of rent and in 2023, non-cash renters comprised over 2.1 million of the 45.6 million US renter households. @aherm.bsky.social
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/non-cas...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/non-cas...
Non-Cash Rentals House More than Two Million Renters Affordably
An overlooked group in discussions of rental affordability are households who occupy a unit without payment of rent. Non-cash renters fall into one of
www.jchs.harvard.edu
February 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Haven't seen much, if any work, examining who non-cash renters are. Was surprised by what we found so decided to blog about it!
Reposted by Alex Hermann
At last the two main immigration estimates have aligned. New
CBO estimates for 2024 very close to Census estimates for year-to-mid-2024.
CBO estimates for 2024 very close to Census estimates for year-to-mid-2024.
January 13, 2025 at 8:52 PM
At last the two main immigration estimates have aligned. New
CBO estimates for 2024 very close to Census estimates for year-to-mid-2024.
CBO estimates for 2024 very close to Census estimates for year-to-mid-2024.
Should update this, but markets in the Northeast and Midwest continue to face the largest inventory challenges. From a blog on the interplay between the existing and new home market:
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/existin...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/defaul...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/existin...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/defaul...
January 12, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Should update this, but markets in the Northeast and Midwest continue to face the largest inventory challenges. From a blog on the interplay between the existing and new home market:
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/existin...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/defaul...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/existin...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/defaul...
Yes, this. But also for even modest levels of fame.
Trump has always a brash boor but Elon was, while probably not the genius his PR made him out to be, clearly a pretty cogent and erudite person at one point. I seriously wonder if that level of fame is just an active cognitive impairment for certain people over long enough timelines.
January 4, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Yes, this. But also for even modest levels of fame.