An empirical investigation into homeowner demand for home upkeep and improvement

This article highlights several methodological issues associated with estimating the demand for home upkeep and improvement. Using a sample of owner-occupants from the Survey of Housing Adjustments, alternative estimation approaches are evaluated. Although previous research has failed to incorporate the provision of nonmarket labor into demand or expenditure models, this omission does not appear to affect results significantly. The demand for upkeep activities was found to be distinct from the demand for improvement. Finer delineation of upkeep activities into discretionary and nondiscretionary categories provided new insights into different strategies for home upkeep.