October 29 & 30, 2026
Call for Papers:
The E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate at Old Dominion University is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the 4th ODU Real Estate Research Symposium. The event will be held on October 29th & 30th 2026 at ODU’s campus in Norfolk, Virginia.
The symposium will provide researchers with an opportunity to present and discuss new papers and facilitate the exchange of research ideas. The E.V. Williams Center will provide authors with hotel accommodation and economy travel expenses to a reasonable amount.
This year’s event is to focus on Innovations in Real Estate Finance and Investment. Submissions are encouraged across the four quadrants of real estate on topics including, though not limited to, the following;
- AI and Machine Learning Applications in Real Estate Finance & Investment
- Economic & Geo-Political Risk
- ESG and Climate Risk
- Inflation, Interest Rates and the Capital Markets
- Portfolio Management & Fund Performance
- Real Estate Cycles and Market Dynamics
- REIT Corporate Governance
- Risk Management and Data Analytics
- Spatial Modeling
All presenters will be asked to discuss another paper. Papers presented at the symposium will be eligible for expediated refereeing in the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management (JREPM), a journal of the American Real Estate Society.
Authors should submit either extended abstracts or full papers by July 10th 2026 to Simon Stevenson at sasteven@odu.edu. Authors will be notified by July 30th 2026. Full length papers will be required by Monday September 21st. Registration details for non-presenters will be available from early August.
Further information about the conference can be obtained from conference organizers; Simon Stevenson and Lei Zhang,
Two people on symposium stage in front of presentation.
Research symposium attendees watching a presentation.
Symposium presentation
Two people on symposium stage in front of presentation.
Research symposium attendees watching a presentation.
Symposium presentation
Previous Symposium Programs
In association with the Journal of Housing Research
Big Blue Room, Chartway Arena
* Presenting author
Thursday October 2nd
8.00-8.30: Breakfast & Coffee
8.30-10.30: Session 1
Session Chair: Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)
Dementia Risk and Homeownership
Gary Painter (University of Cincinnati)
Xun Bian (University of North Texas)
Hanchen Jiang (University of North Texas)*
Discussant: Saani Rawat (University of Cincinnati)
The Effect of Local Road Maintenance Tax Cuts on House Values
David Brassington (University of Cincinnati)
Saani Rawat (University of Cincinnati)*
Discussant: Hanchen Jiang (University of North Texas)
10.30-10.45: Coffee & Snack Break
10.45-12.45: Session 2
Session Chair: Lei Zhang (Old Dominion University)
Coastal Flooding and Housing Market Liquidity: Policy Implications for Eastern U.S. Communities
Wai Yan Sio (Old Dominion University)
Rex Sitti (Old Dominion University)*
Discussant: Wesley A. Miller (University of Southern California)
Leveraging the Microgeography of Neighborhoods to Estimate the Causal Effects of Flood Damage: Evidence from Hurricane Harvey
Wesley A. Miller (University of Southern California)*
Discussant: Alois Weigand (University of St. Gallen)
12.45-14.15 Lunch
14.15-16.15: Session 3
Session Chair: Kimberely Goodwin (University of Southern Mississippi)
Climate Policy Uncertainty and Housing Dynamics: Evidence from China’s Major Cities
Jianing Wang (University of New South Wales)
Chyi Lin Lee (University of New South Wales)*
Discussant: Gianluca Marcato (University of Reading)
Beyond the Flood: Media Coverage of Flood Events and Property Valuation
Dominik Svoboda (University of Memphis)*
Jan Hanousek, Jr. (University of Memphis)
Velma Zahirovic-Herbert (University of Memphis)
Discussant: William M. Doerner (independent researcher)
16.15-16.30 Coffee & Snack Break
16.30-17.30: Session 4
Session Chair: Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)
The Importance of Networks for Career Success: Evidence from the Real Estate Industry
Soon Hyeok Choi (Rochester Institute of Technology)*
Patrick Smith (University of North Carolina Charlotte)
Ali Tosyali (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Discussant: Chyi Lin Lee (University of New South Wales)
Friday October 3rd
8.00-8.30: Breakfast & Coffee
8.30-10.30: Session 5
Session Chair: Michael La Cour Little (California State University, Fullerton)
Google Search and the Exercise of Strategic Default on Mortgages
Gianluca Marcato (University of Reading)*
Shotaro Watanabe (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University)
Bing Zhu (Technical University of Munich)
Discussant: Dominik Svoboda (University of Memphis)
Mortgages for Second Residences and Housing Markets
Zachery Blizard (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Thomas S. Conkling (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)*
Georgia Ronis von Helms (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Discussant: Callan Whamond (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
10.30-10.45: Coffee & Snack Break
10.45-12.45: Session 6
Session Chair: Xun Bian (University of North Texas)
Heterogeneous Housing Valuation
Alois Weigand (University of St. Gallen)*
Discussant: Jaikai Zhang (New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology)
Estimating Speculative Demand: Evidence from Spillover Effects of China’s Housing Purchase Restriction Policy
Meng-Ting Chen (National Taiwan Normal University)
Jaikai Zhang (New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology)*
Discussant: Xun Xiong (University of Kansas)
12.45-14.15 Lunch
14.15-16.15: Session 7
Session Chair: Justin Benefield (Auburn University)
Fiscal Stimulus and Housing Booms: Evidence from the 2003 Tax Cuts
Leming Lin (University of Pittsburgh)
Atanas Mihov (University of Kansas)
Xun Xiong (University of Kansas)*
Discussant: Thomas S. Conkling (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Living Large? Rising Incomes and Implications for Housing Consumption
Callan Whamond (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)*
Discussant: Rex Sitti (Old Dominion University)
16.15-16.30 Coffee & Snack Break
16.30-17.30: Session 8
Session Chair: Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)
Tradition and Technology: Do Institutional Changes Influence Mortgage Appraisal Practices?
William M. Doerner (independent researcher)*
Discussant: Soon Hyeok Choi (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Potomac & York River Rooms, Webb Center, ODU
* Presenting author
Thursday October 10th
8.00-8.30: Breakfast & Coffee
8.30-10.30: Session 1
On the Waterfront, Depth Matters: The Impact of Deepwater/Deepwater Access on Residential Transaction Prices and the Discounting Role of Flood Risk
Ramya R. Aroul (University of Texas at Arlington)
J. Andrew Hansz (University of Texas at Arlington)*
Vinod Agarwal (Old Dominion University)
Discussant: Chyi Lin Lee (University of New South Wales)
Aging, Housing and Macroeconomic Inefficiency
Yasutaka Ogawa (Bank of Japan)
Jiro Yoshida (Pennsylvania State University)*
Discussant: Ramya R. Aroul (University of Texas at Arlington)
10.30-10.45 Coffee & Snack Break
10.45-12.45: Session 2
The Impact of Generative AI on Tenant-Driven Commercial Real Estate Valuation
Chongyu Wang (Florida State University)
Jingfang Wang (Florida State University)*
Tingyu Zhou (Florida State University)
Discussant: Sean Wilkoff (University of Nevada, Reno)
From Handshakes to Algorithms: Implications of Newer Technology on Real Estate Transactions
Pratish Patel (California Polytechnic State University)
Sean Wilkoff (University of Nevada, Reno)*
Discussant: Jingfang Wang (Florida State University)
12.45-14.15 Lunch
14.15-16.15: Session 3
Rent Control, Rent Overcharge and Racial Disparity: Evidence from New York City
Brent Ambrose (Pennsylvania State University)
Xuan Bian (University of North Texas)*
Ruoyu Chen (University of Windsor)
Hanchen Jiang (University of North Texas)
Discussant: Lawrence J. White (New York University).
The Effect of Targeted Subsidies on the Location Choice of Housing Voucher Recipients: Horizontal Scaling of Small-Area Fair Market Rents
Michael D. Eriksen (Purdue University)
Eunjee Kwon (University of Cincinnati)
Guoyang Yang (University of Cincinnati)*
Discussant: Hanchen Jiang (University of North Texas)
16.15-16.30 Coffee & Snack Break
16.30-17.30: Session 4
More Risk, More Reward: The Role of Real Estate Concentration in Shaping Equity-Based Compensation
Ryan G. Chacon (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs)
Zifeng Feng (University of Texas at El Paso)*
Joseph Ooi (National University of Singapore)
Discussant: Jiro Yoshida (Pennsylvania State University)
Friday October 11th
8.00-8.30 Breakfast & Coffee
8.30-10.30: Session 5
What do we Learn from Mobile Phone Location Data about Mobility and Housing during Covid-19?
Shizhen Wang (University College London)*
Stanimira Milcheva (University College London)
Nikodem Szumilo (University College London)
Discussant: Guoyang Yang (University of Cincinnati)
News Sentiment and Time-on-Market: An Application to the Finnish Housing Market
Filip von Wehrt (Aalto University)*
Heidi Falkenbach (Aalto University)
Discussant: Shizhen Wang (University College London)
10.30-10.45 Coffee & Snack Break
10.45-12.45: Session 6
An Examination of Mortgage Stress with an Advanced Machine Learning Approach: Evidence from Australia
Yunhe Cheng (University of New South Wales)
Chyi Lin Lee (University of New South Wales)*
Discussant: Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)
Revenge of the S&Ls: How Banks Lost a Half Trillion Dollars during 2022
Rebel A. Cole (Florida Atlantic University)
Brian Silverstein (Kansas State University)
Jon R. Taylor (Florida Gulf Coast University)
Susan M. Watcher (University of Pennsylvania)
Lawrence J. White (New York University)*.
Discussant: Zifeng Feng (University of Texas at El Paso)
12.45-14.15 Lunch
14.15-16.15: Session 7
Real Estate Agent Response to Hispanic/Latino Clients in a Large Sample Correspondence Field Experiment: Homophily, Local Demographic and Regional Differences
Andrew Hanson (University of Illinois, Chicago)*
Zackary Hawley (Texas Christian University)
Discussant: Soon Hyeok Choi (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Selling Houses as Minority Broker: Quantifying Diversity Discount
Soon Hyeok Choi (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Discussant: Andrew Hanson (University of Illinois, Chicago)
16.15-16.30 Coffee & Snack Break
16.30-17.30: Session 8
Auction Structure, Bidding Behavior and Urban Land Price: Evidence from Two-Stage Land Auctions
Shuping Wu (Beijing Jiaotong University)
Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)*
James Young (University of North Georgia)
Zan Yang (Tsinghua University)
Discussant: Filip von Wehrt (Aalto University)
Jensen Lab, Constant Hall, ODU
* Presenting author
8.30-9.00 Coffee & Breakfast
9.00-10.00: Session 1
Large Plant Openings and Rural Housing Market Impacts
Ash Abebe (Auburn University)
Justin Benefield (Auburn University)*
Jiavi Xu (Mount St. Joseph University)
Discussant: Chip Filer (Poseidon Economic Consulting)
10.00-10.15 Coffee
10.15-11.15: Session 2
What Does “Market Conditions” Mean in a Real Estate Market? A Question of Short-Term Predictability
Paul Anglin (University of Guelph)*
Yanmin Gao (Thompson Rivers University)
Discussant: James Young (University of North Georgia)
11.15-11.30 Coffee
11.30-12.30: Session 3
The Good, The Bad and the Ordinary: Estimating Agent Valued-Added using Real Estate Transactions
Chris Cunningham (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta)
Kristopher Gerardi (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta)
Lily Shen (Clemson University)*
Discussant: Simon Stevenson, Old Dominion University
12.30-13.30 Lunch
13.30-14.30: Session 4
Do People Pay to Avoid Black Neighbors?
Tammy Leonard (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center*
Lei Zhang (Old Dominion University)*
Discussant: Kimberly Luchtenberg (American University)
14.30-14.45: Coffee
9.00-10.00: Session 5
Does Affordability Status Matter in Who Wants Multifamily Housing in their Backyards?
Michael Eriksen (Purdue University)*
Gouyang Yang (University of Cincinnati)
Discussant: Simon Stevenson (Old Dominion University)