All of the bubbles examined in this paper share
a common form, as seen in Figure 14. Housing
prices start at a stable inflation-adjusted level
“A”. The housing bubble picks up steam, in
-
creasing inflation-adjusted prices to a new high
of “B”. From that point, the bubble bursts and
housing prices deflate to their new inflation-
adjusted level “C”.
In all of the bubbles examined in this paper,
the new average housing price after the bubble
burst (point C) is always higher than the initial
starting price at point A. As such, anyone who
held real estate through the entire cycle from A
through C will make money (in inflation-adjust
-
ed terms), despite a decline between the peak B
to the final price of C.
Often the process from A to C is quite lengthy,
requiring a decade or more.