This paper provides novel evidence on pricing effects in housing markets following government shutdown responses to COVID‐19 using microlevel data on U.S. residential property transactions. We find that post‐shutdown pricing effects not only depend on population density but also the size and structural density of properties. The average price of a three‐bedroom property fell by approximately 1.4% in densely populated locations (e.g., downtown) but increased by about 1.5% in low‐density locations (e.g., suburbs) where shutdowns were enacted. The effects are more drastic for properties with fewer bedrooms. We also document a significant decrease in sales for markets under a shutdown.

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We present evidence on the effect of a public health crisis on housing markets through the lens of the recent opioid crisis in the U.S. Using data on opioid prescriptions and repeat sales in Ohio, we find that house price changes around opioid dispensaries are negatively associated with the quantity of opioids dispensed. To explore a causal inference, we use a potentially cleaner measure of supply that is based on vertical integration. We estimate that a one standard deviation increase in the standardized number of pills dispensed by vertically integrated pharmacies is associated with a 5.8% decrease in house price appreciation. Our work informs the broader policy discussion on economic costs resulting from health crises.

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