Down-Payment Constraints: Tax Policy Effects in a Growing Economy With Rental and Owner-Occupied Housing

Abstract

This article develops a simulation model of a growing economy where house-holds make life cycle consumption decisions and also choose whether to own or rent housing. A major feature of the model is that newly formed households face a down-payment constraint which may limit the amount of housing they purchase or induce them to rent rather than buy housing. More generally, the constraint may alter the desired path of wealth accumulation. The model is used to simulate the effects of tax policy changes on the steady-state equilibrium, including its capital intensity, its mix of housing and nonhousing capital, and the relative proportion of owned and rental housing.

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