Decisions to Renovate and to Move

Housing renovation is the main alternative means of housing supply besides construction of new housing. Relatively little is known about the factors that affect decisions by households about whether to renovate and which sort of renovations to undertake. These questions are explored empirically. Separate analyses are conducted of the decision to undertake "major structural renovations" as opposed to other sorts (such as remodeling the kitchen or bathroom), and also of the decision to conduct renovations that add to the living space of the housing unit. Financial, household and geographic factors affecting this decision are analyzed econometrically.