The impact of tax increment finance districts on localized real estate: Evidence from Chicago’s multifamily markets

Sales price indices for the Chicago multifamily real estate market are developed in order to examine the influence that designating an area a tax increment financing district (TIF) has on the real property appreciation rates. Chicago is a community with a long history of TIF investment and a patchwork of more than 130 established TIF districts, comprising over 29 percent of the city’s total acreage and approximately 19 percent of the total real property tax base. Municipal governments across the country have come under increased pressure to provide quantifiable evidence that the tools they employ in the name of economic development have the potential to increase private investment. The results indicate that properties located within a designated TIF district exhibit higher rates of appreciation after the area is designated a qualifying TIF district when compared to those properties selling outside TIF districts, and when compared to properties that sell within TIF district boundaries prior to designation. The findings provide support for the hypothesis that TIF policy impacts property values through increased investment.