The Psychology of Residential Developers

Researchers have repeatedly observed satisficing by residential developers. The phenomenon has been attributed to their bounded rationality. In response, policy makers have designed policies that reduce risks to assist developers in overcoming bounds on their rationality. However, after decades of such policies, there is little evidence that developers have stopped satisficing. This article argues that bounded rationality is an insufficient explanation for satisficing by small developers. Lessons from behavioral economics suggest additional reasons for satisficing by developers. Satisficing is common because developers bracket projects one at a time, bracket each investment decision in isolation of others, create nonfungible investment accounts, establish self-imposed liquidity constraints, and temporally space projects. Policies that group risks to developers are likely to be the most effective. However, additional land-market-specific research is required to design policies that address these psychological traits. Academicians also need to design better survey instruments to investigate developer decision making.

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