Areas of Expertise (8)
Urban Real Estate
Urban Real Estate Economics and Urban Financial Problems
Property Taxation and the Role of the Public Sector
Inter-linkages, Securitization and Globalization of Real Estate Asset Markets
Design of Optimal Mortgage Debt Instruments and Variable-rate Mortgages
Macroeconomic Determinants of Housing Construction
Impacts of Inflation and Deflation on Real Estate Values
Determinants of US and International Real Estate Asset Cycles
About
Robert Edelstein holds the Maurice Mann Chair in Real Estate and is the co-director of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Development at Berkeley Haas. He is the author of the book, "Explaining the Boom Cycle, Speculation or Fundamentals? The Role of Real Estate in the Asian Crisis."
Edelstein has served as a consultant to the Philadelphia Finance Department, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Housing Development Corporation of New York City, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and the U.S. Department of Energy. He served as president of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association in 1996.
Education (3)
Harvard University: PhD, Economics
Harvard University: AM, Economics
Harvard University: AB Magna Cum Laude, with Highest Honors, Economics
Links (3)
Honors & Awards (6)
A.M. (Honorary)
University of Pennsylvania
Phi Beta Kappa
Harvard University
Elected as Faculty Fellow
Homer Hoyt Institute
Elected as Fellow of Homer Hoyt Advanced Studies Institute by the Weimer School
Weimer School
Elected as Faculty Member of the Weimer School of Advanced Studies in Real Estate and Land Economics
Weimer School
Elected President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association
Urban Economics Association
Selected External Service & Affiliations (5)
- Finance and Business Economics, University of Southern California
- Consultant: Philadelphia Finance Department, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Housing Development Corporation of New York City, The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and The United States Department of Energy
- Conference chair: the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Annual Meeting in Washington, DC; the International Meeting at the Haas School of Business; and the Homer Hoyt Institute International Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- Member, board of directors: American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, National Real Estate Forum, AMB Properties, New York Stock Exchange REIT, and Global Properties, a Luxembourg Real Estate Operating Investment Company
- Editorial board member: American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of the Asian Real Estate Society and Journal of Property Research.
Positions Held (1)
At Haas since 1985
2009 – present, Maurice Mann Chair in Real Estate, Haas School of Business 1991 - 2001, Chair, Real Estate Group, Haas School of Business 1985 – present, Professor, Haas School of Business 1979 – 1985, Professor of Finance, Joint Appointment with Public Management Department (1980-1985), Joint Appointment with City Planning Graduate Group (1980-1985), Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania 1975 – 1979, Associate Professor of Finance, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania 1972 – 1975, Assistant Professor of Finance, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Media Appearances (7)
American skyscrapers face an uncertain future amid coronavirus
PBS NewsHour online
2020-06-04
Robert Edelstein, professor emeritus of real estate, said some companies may follow Facebook's lead and tell employees that they can work remotely forever. He added that uncertainty about the future of the physical office is killing real estate deals at the moment.
Hope for California’s housing crisis?
U.S. News & World Report online
2018-04-04
Middle-class families are being forced out of the housing market because of the booming technology industry. Also, "there is pressure from oversea buyers to purchase here because it's safer to have your money in the U.S.," said Prof. Emeritus Robert Edelstein, Maurice Mann Chair in Real Estate. "There are very rich people pushing people out that because they simply just can't afford it anymore."
Bay Area Real Estate Experts Predict a Modest 2018
Oakland Magazine online
2018-01-04
A UC Berkeley real estate professor emeritus echoed Gudell’s comments. “Prices are such that sales are going to be slow. It’s getting to the point where people just can’t afford it,” said Robert Edelstein, co-director of the Fisher Center for Real Estate at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. “We are reaching extremes. It’s an unfortunate fact of life.”
For the fear of shadows: Real estate development under Berkeley’s new City Council
The Daily Californian online
2017-05-07
Since about 1995, the Bay Area has generally experienced economic prosperity. Silicon Valley employees have moved to Berkeley, and housing supply hasn’t been able to keep up with demand, driving up costs, said Robert Edelstein, campus professor emeritus from the Haas School of Business and co-chair of the campus Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics...
How President Trump Will Change the U.S. Housing Market
Realtor.com online
2016-11-09
"The heart of Republican support—blue-collar, middle-aged workers—are the people who will [be affected] the most," says Bob Edelstein, co-chair of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. "It may be harder to get mortgages, and those that will be available will be less advantageous"...
What a New GOP President Would Mean for Homeowners
Realtor.com online
2016-07-21
"The heart of Republican support—blue-collar, middle-aged workers—are the people who will [be affected] the most," says Bob Edelstein, co-chair of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. "It may be harder to get mortgages, and those that will be available will be less advantageous"...
Could Buying a Home in Flint Actually Be a Smart Investment?
Realtor.com online
2016-02-11
Robert Edelstein, a real estate professor at the Haas School of Business, at the University of California, Berkeley, doesn't think so. He believes the water crisis will prompt even more employers to flee the already economically depressed city—further perpetuating the cycle of decline...
Selected Papers & Publications (9)
The Housing Problem and the Economic Crisis: A Review and Evaluation of Policy Prescriptions
Homer Hoyt Institute
Robert Edelstein, Ashok Bardhan, and Cynthia Kroll
2010
“How Do Institutional Factors Affect International Real Estate Returns?
Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics
Robert Edelstein, Wenlan Qian, and Desmond Tsang
2010
How Does Corporate Governance Affect the Quality of Investor Information? The Curious Case of REITs
The Curious Case of REITs
Robert Edelstein, Pal Anglin, Yanmin Gao, and Desmond Tsang
2010
Ownership Dynamics with Multiple Insiders: The Case of REITs
Real Estate Economics
Robert Edelstein, Antoni Sureda-Gomila, Branko Urosevic, and Nicholas Wonder
2010
Global Financial Integration and Real Estate Security Returns
Real Estate Economics
Robert Edelstein, Ashok Bardhan, and Desmond Tsang
2008
Real Estate Through the Ages: The Known, The Unknown, and The Unknowable
The Known, The Unknown, and The Unknowable: Financial Risk Management
Robert Edelstein and Ashok Bardhan
2008
Real Estate Value Cycles: A Theory of Market Dynamics
American Real Estate Society
Robert Edelstein, Yoon Dokko, Allan J. Lacayo and Daniel C. Lee
1999
Forecasting Seniors Housing Demand
Seniors Housing, Research Issues in Real Estate, edited by Michael A. Anikeeff, and Glenn R. Mueller. Kluwer Academic Publishers; Norwell, Massachusetts
Robert Edelstein and Allan J. Lacayo
1998
Economic Consequences of the Rodash Decision on the U.S. Economy." Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Committee on Banking and Financial Services.
Robert Edelstein
1995
Teaching (3)
Real Estate Economics and Finance
MBA & EWMBA
Real Estate Strategy
MBA & EWMBA
Real Estate Seminar
PhD
Social