How to study the real estate residential market?

Abstract

Housing is a central element in the social and economic organization of contemporary societies, and within this framework the present study aims to define and systematize the factors shaping the housing market, highlighting its social, economic, territorial, and legal dimensions, as well as to identify the most relevant variables and indicators to analyze its evolution and to provide tools for designing public policies aimed at ensuring the right to housing, social cohesion, and sustainable development. To achieve this goal, the study applies a descriptive and documentary methodology, based on the review and systematization of theoretical concepts and the analysis of normative, statistical, and institutional sources, which has allowed the author’s prior knowledge to be contrasted with empirical data and to produce an integrated vision of the market. The results show that the housing sector is highly segmented and under pressure, combining residential, patrimonial, and speculative uses, while the historical insufficiency of public housing, the limited supply of affordable rentals, and the expansion of alternative uses, such as tourist or seasonal rentals, intensify inequalities of access and drive-up prices. At the same time, the close link with the financial system and the role of housing as a leading indicator of economic cycles underline the need for coordinated multilevel governance, grounded in reliable data and long-term strategies, to reconcile economic logics with the effective recognition of the right to housing and to foster a more inclusive and sustainable housing market.