When an economy is experiencing a property boom, GDP growth figures usually rise substantially. A property boom is, therefore, a great source of wealth creation within a country. When demand for property, whether it is commercial and/or domestic housing, outweighs supply there becomes an urgent need to build more housing.
As demand for property increases the price of housing rises with it. As a result the wealth effect develops within a country that is in the middle of a property boom. The reasons for a wealth effect is simple, property owners see their property become more valuable, more people become employed in the construction sector, wages increase and spending in the economy escalates. The result of a property boom within an economy opens up a wide number of avenues that will lead to many profitable gains from the economic condition.
The most obvious way to profit from a housing boom is to sell additional properties. Additional properties, such as a holiday home or a property for the purposes to let, can be sold for a profit during a property boom as the demand for such fuels the escalation in the price. Houses that are bought at the early stages of a property boom can be sold of at a later stage for a higher sum. Additional and unused land may be sold at an inflated price if it is suitable for the development of housing and is close to local amenities.
A demand for the construction of new houses will offer many opportunities for worker to gain employment in the construction sector. As the demand for workers increases the wages will also rise, therefore working in times of an economic property boom can be profitable for employees. Not only can a property boom become highly profitable for those in the construction sector but other services sectors that are linked. For example, insurance companies will reap the effects of a housing boom with increased number of policies sold to new residential and commercial properties. As demand for services increase, so does the need for employees in the sector which also leads to increased numbers attending University education.
With an increased amount of property development, an economy will see its output figures rise. As an economy grows at consistent rate due to a property boom, the stocks in that country will also surge. This in turn enhances a country’s economy as it becomes easier to borrow from the international markets to pay national debts and to further invest in its infrastructure. In the same line, individual investors can invest in property shares in a booming economy. Investors who invest in property shares at either before the property boom begins or at a very early stage can profit highly from high property grow rates.
The increased spending in a property boom has many positive effects for an economy. The level of infrastructure develops greatly and living standards improve. However, debt levels will also inevitably soar during a property boom. As employment and wages increase, the rate of lending by banks will also accelerate. Property booms will see borrowing against future wage incomes. In turn, the average household debt to disposable income ratio will intensify as the economy starts to overheat. It is therefore essential to introduce economic policies during a housing boom to resist a property crash. Policies that regulate mortgage lending are important in order to prolong economic prosperity in a property boom.