(Journal of Property Investment Finance.) Behavi (B-Ok - CC)

Volume 22 Numbers 4 2004 ISBN 0-86176-999-6 ISSN 1463-578X
Journal of
Property Investment
& Finance
Issue 4 is a special issue on Behavioural real estate
Guest Editor: Deborah Levy
www.emeraldinsight.com
Journal of ISSN 1463-578X
Volume 22
Property Investment & Number 4
2004
Finance
Behavioural real estate
Guest Editor
Deborah S. Levy
Access this journal online __________________________ 290

CONTENTS
Editorial advisory board ___________________________ 291
Abstracts and keywords ___________________________ 292
Editorial ___________________________________________________ 294
Identifying the dimensions to retail centre image
Valerie Kupke __________________________________________________ 298
The decision-making behaviour of office occupiers
Chris Leishman and Craig Watkins_________________________________ 307
The influence of family members on housing
purchase decisions
Deborah S. Levy and Christina Kwai-Choi Lee ________________________ 320
Multicultural examination of valuation behaviour
Julian Diaz III, Paul Gallimore and Deborah Levy _____________________ 339
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Editorial
Professor Alastair Adair Dr Yu Shi Ming advisory board
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland National University of Singapore
Dr Richard Barkham Dr Seow Eng Ong
Grosvenor Estate, London, UK National University of Singapore
Professor Andrew Baum Professor John Ratcliffe
The University of Reading, UK Dublin Institute of Technology, Eire
291
Peter Byrne Dr Tim Richards
The University of Reading, UK Co´ras Iompair Eireann, Dublin, Eire
Professor Neil Crosby Professor Jon Robinson
The University of Reading, UK University of Melbourne, Australia
Eamonn D’Arcy Professor Stephen Roulac
The University of Reading, UK Roulac Group, USA and University of Ulster,
Professor Julian Diaz III Northern Ireland
Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA Dr Ed Schuck
Dr Tim Dixon Frank Russell Company New Zealand
College of Estate Management, Reading, UK Dr Karen Sieracki
Professor Paul Gallimore KASPAR Associates, Tunbridge Wells, UK
Nottingham Trent University, UK Andrew Smith
Professor Robin Goodchild Aberdeen Property Investors, London, UK
LaSalle Investment Management, London, UK Professor Dogan Tirtiroglu
Dr Liow Kim Hiang Concordia University, Quebec, Canada
National University of Singapore, Singapore Sotiris Tsolacos
Professor Martin Hoesli Jones Lang LaSalle
University of Geneva, Switzerland and University Professor Charles W.R. Ward
of Aberdeen, UK The University of Reading, UK
Geoff Keogh Professor James R. Webb
University of Aberdeen, UK Cleveland State University, USA
Tony Key Dr Larry Wofford
City University, UK C&L Systems Corp., Tulsa, USA
Professor Colin Lizieri Professor Elaine Worzala
The University of Reading, UK University of San Diego, USA
Professor Bryan MacGregor Dr Peter Wyatt
University of Aberdeen, UK University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
George Matysiak
The University of Reading, UK
Journal of Property Investment &

Finance
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004
p. 291
# Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1463-578X
JPIF Identifying the dimensions to retail size, business type and whether the market
centre image they serve is local, regional or national.
22,4
Valerie Kupke
Keywords Perception, Retail marketing,
Shopping centres
First feelings and first impressions largely The influence of family members on
govern and delimit the kinds of experiences housing purchase decisions
292
one expects and seeks. This paper reviews the Deborah S. Levy and Christina Kwai-Choi Lee
application of multidimensional scaling Keywords Family, Decision making,
(MDS) to retail market research and discusses Influence, Real estate
how MDS is able to map these impressions
and hence explain the retail centre image held Families and households make up a
by consumers. It proposes that retail centre significant proportion of the real estate
image is not just relevant to marketers and market. There is, however, little information
retailers, but is also of importance to property in mainstream real estate literature on the
managers who need an informed and holistic impact of family behaviour on real estate
consumer orientation in order to create and decisions. This paper clarifies some of these
sustain property value. By means of issues by analysing and expanding on many
illustration MDS is applied to data based on of the findings from the marketing literature,
shopper evaluations of seven retail centre in particular the topic of influence between
items and an interpretation the results is different family members in the purchase of a
offered. new home. This paper presents some
important issues to be considered when
examining family decision-making. These
include the roles played by different family
members and their influence at different
The decision-making behaviour of stages of the decision-making process. It also
office occupiers reports on the findings of a study involving a
Chris Leishman and Craig Watkins series of in-depth interviews with real estate
agents to determine their perception of the
Keywords Decision making, family decision-making process in relation to
Office buildings a house purchase decision. This culminates in
Typically, studies of the occupiers’ choice of a conceptual framework on family decision
office property have focused on the influence making specifically for the purchase of
of location. Following the standard residential real estate, before discussing the
behavioural assumptions of neo-classical implications of these findings to the general
economics, the firm is assumed to make the real estate market, including service,
rational profit-maximising decision on the promotion and valuation.
basis of full information. All firms are
implicitly assumed to be homogeneous. This
general approach eliminates much of the
complexity from the decision-making
process. This paper uses evidence from a Multicultural examination of valuation
survey of over 100 office occupiers in behaviour
Edinburgh to examine the influence of a
Julian Diaz III, Paul Gallimore
broader range of factors on individual firms’ and Deborah Levy
choice of office. Using logistic regression
techniques on the survey data, the empirical Keywords Value analysis, Individual
analysis shows that by taking account of behaviour, United Kingdom, United
Finance
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004 heterogeneity of firms, it is possible to States of America, New Zealand
Abstracts and keywords
# Emerald Group Publishing
identify the type of property occupied. Firms’ A series of experiments were conducted to
Limited 1463-578X decisions are closely related to their examine valuation behaviour in the UK, the
USA, and New Zealand (NZ). Professional significantly greater number of sales than did Abstracts and
valuers from all three countries participated subjects from the UK where disclosure is
in the study whose findings support the uncommon. Finally, while valuers perhaps keywords
notion that the US normative model is ought to increase sales search in unfamiliar
cognitively demanding and that greater markets, this research revealed no evidence
departures from it result in reduced cognitive that they do so. These findings are consistent
effort. The study also concluded that subjects with the need to seek cognitive efficiency and
from cultures requiring disclosure (USA and reduce cognitive effort even at the expense of 293
NZ) examined a performance quality.
JPIF
22,4 Editorial
Behavioural property research was introduced as a new approach to the study of property
by Diaz (1999). Since then, this approach has grown into an accepted component of
mainstream property academic enquiry and, as Gallimore (1999) predicted in the last
294 special behavioural edition of the Journal of Property Investment & Finance, a “valid
framework for property market analysis”. Although behavioural property research still
consists only of a small proportion of published papers, recent editions of internationally
refereed academic property journals including Real Estate Economics, The Journal of
Property Research, The Journal of Real Estate Research and Journal of Property
Investment & Finance have observed an increased number of publications in this area.
There is evidence that this trend will continue with an increasing number of papers
investigating the behavioural aspects of the real estate market being presented at academic
property conferences worldwide.
The emergence of a behavioural field of enquiry and the questioning of the
underlying concept of the rational man and efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is not
unique to property, but is a trend throughout a number of related academic disciplines.
For example, Shiller (2000) in his book Irrational Exuberance, investigates the
behavioural aspects of financial markets. This investigation illuminates the complex
nature of real markets as compared with academic expectations and models. As with
behavioural research in property, Shiller (2000) suggests that behavioural finance “as
the years go by, is looking less and less like a minor subfield of finance and more and
more like a central pillar of serious finance theory”.
Economics as a discipline has also traditionally embraced the overriding concept
of the rational man and when behaviour failed to conform with economic theory it
was often concluded that this was irrational behaviour, or more embedded in the field
of psychology (Green and Kagel, 1987). Over the past 25 years, however, there has
been a move away from the traditional insularity between psychology and economics
with economists entering into laboratories, traditionally the realm of psychologists,
and psychologists beginning to incorporate economic theory into their experimental
design and analyses of results (Green and Kagel, 1987). The area of behavioural
economics has emerged displaying a transdisciplinary approach to the understanding
of behaviour which has continued to attract a growing interest amongst academics as
demonstrated by the increasing number of published academic articles in the field in
recent years (McFadyen and Wood, 1991).
Consumer behaviour, a subset of the marketing discipline, has also grown from the
recognition by economists of the limitations of microeconomic theory in explaining
consumer actions. Researchers thus started evaluating markets from the perspective of
the behavioural sciences (psychology, sociology, and anthropology). In this context
the consumer is viewed as a psychological entity, acting within a social and
sociocultural environment (Kassajian and Robertson, 1973).
It is clear from the above discussion that the behavioural approach has proved
Finance
increasingly attractive to academics from a number of disciplines in recent years. This
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004 interest has primarily stemmed from the deficiencies of the theoretical underpinning
pp. 294-297
q Emerald Group Publishing
of the rational man construct to fully explain economic activity. Economic activity,
Limited 1463-578X after all, is ultimately human behaviour (Diaz, 1999).
The advent of a behavioural mode of enquiry as an accepted framework for property Editorial
market analysis has added another dimension to academic research. It could be argued that
without it there could, potentially, be dangerous consequences. For example, Shiller
(2000) claims that the underlying assumption that all people are thoroughly rational has
encouraged many academics to depend on simple and elegant models of market efficiency.
This in turn has created a situation where academics are tempted to tackle only problems
that can be answered with scientific precision, therefore running the risk of being so 295
narrow as to be irrelevant. If Shiller’s argument relating to behavioural finance is accepted
in the property context, then an alternative approach to real estate research should be
encouraged in order to create an opportunity for theory to become more useful and
relevant. This perspective would ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the more
complex aspects of market reality.
Although behavioural research in the property context is a relatively recent
development, papers utilising this approach have already contributed major insights
into the functioning of property markets. For example, a number of key papers have
studied the process of property asset valuation and are throwing light on questions
that are fundamental to property economics. Examples of recent contributions from
the literature include studies on valuation judgement in terms of different reference
points, transaction feedback, transaction price, client feedback and client influence
(Diaz and Hansz, 2001; Hansz and Diaz, 2001; Havard, 2001; Gallimore and
Wolverton, 2000; Wolverton and Gallimore, 1999; Levy and Schuck, 1999). Findings
from these and other published research projects in this area are contributing to such
critical issues as real estate market pricing and the construction of real estate indexes.
A substantial amount of recent research effort has also offered a greater
appreciation and deeper understanding of the behaviour of participants in the property
market including consumers, lenders, brokers, investors, developers and landowners
(Gallimore and Gray, 2002; Webb, 2000; Levy and Lee, 2000; Adams et al., 2001;
Gallimore et al., 2000). Knowledge of how these players in the market behave is
fundamental to the understanding of property.
The behavioural approach to property research has also promoted different tools
and perspectives from psychology, which in turn has enabled researchers to expand
the type of questions that can successfully be considered. The acceptance of varied
research methods and methodologies not routinely employed in the traditional
approach to property research is becoming more common. For example there has been
a significant increase in the collection of primary data via instruments such as
surveys, experiments and interviews in place of the analysis of secondary databases.
There is also evidence of a growing acceptance of a qualitative approach to research,
which is especially useful for behavioural researchers for its ability in investigating
the behaviour of individual players in the property market (Levy and Henry, 2001).
The four papers included in this special edition are authored by academics from the
USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. These papers display two striking features.
First, they demonstrate the diversity of research methods that has been so effectively
utilised in gaining a better understanding of the behaviour of participants in the
property market. Second, these papers illustrate the range of research questions
capable of being addressed by this approach.
Leishman and Watkins analyse evidence from a survey of 119 office occupiers in
Edinburgh in order to challenge the standard neo-classical assumption that firms make
JPIF rational profit-maximising decisions on the basis of full information. The paper
22,4 concludes that a firm’s decisions are closely related to their size, business type and
whether the market they serve is local, regional or national. The use of cluster analysis
techniques enables the construction of a classification of property types within the
Edinburgh market and thus new empirical evidence of the way characteristics of the
firm influence their decision choice. The outcome of this provides an extension to
296 existing behavioural studies.
Diaz, Gallimore and Levy conduct a series of experiments examining valuation
behaviour in the UK, USA and New Zealand. The outcome of the study highlights the
effects of culture on valuer behaviour and raises the question as to the effect of
cultural influence on other players in the real estate market. The findings overall are
consistent with the need to seek cognitive efficiency and reduce cognitive effort even
at the expense of performance and quality.
Kupke uses multidimensional scaling as a tool in mapping first impressions and the
retail centre image held by consumers. Identifying people’s first impressions of real
estate environments and how they “feel” about property attributes is vital information
for property managers and owners desirous of create and sustaining property values.
As illustrated in each of the papers included in this edition, the results indicate that the
traditional concept of rationality may not be a primary determinant of choice.
Levy and Lee’s paper brings into the mainstream real estate literature information
relating to the impact of family behaviour on real estate purchasing decisions. In
particular, it investigates roles of different family members and their influence at
different stages of the decision making process. Unlike work in neo-classical
economics (and by extension in most real estate applications) the family is treated as a
group of individuals entering into a joint decision making process, rather than as a
single individual or as if the paternal head of the household personifies the family as
whole. This paper, in contrast to others in this issue, utilises a purely qualitative
research approach by way of a series of in-depth interviews.
In conclusion, this behavioural issue brings together four papers which by virtue of
their research questions query the underlying assumptions embedded in neo-classical
economic theory. By the use of nontraditional research techniques (both qualitative and
quantitative), the authors have been able to foster a deeper understanding of property
markets and the players within them. Although behavioural property research is relatively
recent, still much remains to be done to understand fully the behaviour of players such as
investors, lenders, property professionals, consumers and policy makers. The inclusion of
this type of research in mainstream academic enquiry creates an exciting synergy between
economics and behavioural science, which may be viewed as one of the most important
recent developments in the field of property research.
References
Adams, D., Disberry, A., Hutchison, N. and Munjoma, T. (2001), “Urban redevelopment:
contextual influences and landowner behaviour”, Journal of Property Research, Vol.
18 No. 3, pp. 217-34.
Diaz, J. III (1999), “The first decade of behavioral research in the discipline of property”,
Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 326-32.
Diaz, J. III and Hansz, J.A. (2001), “The use of reference points in valuation judgement”,
Journal of Property Research, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 141-8.
Gallimore, P. (1999), “Editorial”, Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 17 No. 4, p. 1. Editorial
Gallimore, P. and Gray, A. (2002), “The role of investor sentiment in property investment
decisions”, Journal of Property Research, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 111-20.
Gallimore, P. and Wolverton, M. (2000), “The objective in valuation: a study of the influence
of client feedback”, Journal of Property Research, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 47-57.
Gallimore, P., Hansz, J.A. and Gray, A. (2000), “Decision making in small property
companies”, Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 602-12. 297
Green, L. and Kagel, J.H. (1987), Advances in Behavioral Economics, Ablex Publishing,
Westport, CT.
Hansz, J.A. and Diaz, J. III (2001), “Valuation bias and commercial appraisal: a transaction
price feedback experiment”, Real Estate Economics, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 553-65.
Havard, T.M. (2001), “An experimental evaluation of the effect of data presentation on heuristic bias
in commercial valuation”, Journal of Property Research, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 51-67.
Kassajian, H.H. and Robertson, T.S. (1973), Perspectives in Consumer Behavior, rev. ed.,
Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, IL.
Levy, D. and Henry, M. (2001), “An analysis of published property research methodologies
and methods”, paper presented at “Cutting Edge 2001” Property Research Conference of
the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Oxford.
Levy, D. and Lee, C.C.-K. (2000), “Family influence in decision making processes for
housing”, paper presented at “Cutting Edge 2000” Property Research Conference of the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, London.
Levy, D. and Schuck, E. (1999), “The influence of clients on valuations”, Journal of Property
Investment & Finance, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 380-400.
McFadyen, J. and Wood, H. (1991), Economics – Psychological Aspects, Elsevier Science
Publishers, Amsterdam.
Shiller, R.J. (2000), Irrational Exuberance, Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ.
Webb, J.R. (2000), “An inquiry into the professional self image of real estate agents”, Journal
of Real Estate Research, Vol. 20 Nos 1/2, pp. 153-77.
Wolverton, M.L. and Gallimore, P. (1999), “Client feedback the role of the appraiser”, Journal
of Real Estate Research, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 415-31.
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/1463-578X.htm
JPIF
22,4 Identifying the dimensions to retail
centre image
Valerie Kupke
298 School of International Business, University of South Australia,
Adelaide, Australia
Received January 2002 Keywords Perception, Retail marketing, Shopping centres
Accepted December 2002
Abstract First feelings and first impressions largely govern and delimit the kinds of
experiences one expects and seeks. This paper reviews the application of multidimensional
scaling (MDS) to retail market research and discusses how MDS is able to map these
impressions and hence explain the retail centre image held by consumers. It proposes that
retail centre image is not just relevant to marketers and retailers, but is also of importance to
property managers who need an informed and holistic consumer orientation in order to
create and sustain property value. By means of illustration MDS is applied to data based on
shopper evaluations of seven retail centre items and an interpretation the results is offered.
Introduction
Zajonc (1980) argued that “we are never wrong about what we like or dislike” and
that once formed, an evaluation is not readily revoked. He argued against the notion,
that before we can like something we must know what it is, that objects must be
understood before they can be evaluated. Instead Zajonc suggested it was possible to
like something without knowing precisely what it was. Newell and Simon (1972, in
Hardin, 1999) have suggested that while an individual may interpret a task and try to
formulate it into a known item, through comprehension and problem space definition,
processes Zajonc describes as “cold cognition”, they also recognise that information
processing has an important preconscious component. Information, they suggest, is
processed preconsciously even before humans are conscious of the presence of
information (Hardin, 1999). Ittelson (1974) argues that first feelings and first
impressions largely govern the directions taken and delimits the kinds of experiences
one expects and seeks.
These first feelings and impressions are a key factor in understanding retail consumer
behaviour. The limited nature of the human attention span results in the need for the
selective processing of information especially within retail environments that offer
multiple stimuli and choices (Lindquist, 1973; Phillips et al., 1997). Thus initial
perceptions play an important role in explaining the images held by consumers of retail
outlets, images which in turn account for customer evaluations and patronage. This paper
reviews multidimensional scaling (MDS) as a market research methodology that is capable
of mapping out the “feelings” or perceptions held by shoppers in terms of retail images.
MDS attempts to detect the constructs that frame the highly selective shopping process by
identifying the key elements of a store image which are retained by the consumer and
influence their purchaser behaviour. This paper emphasises that a research methodology
Finance which offers a better understanding of store image should correspond to a more holistic
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004
pp. 298-306 approach to the management of retail centres, management which offers competitive
q Emerald Group Publishing advantage by being more consumer focused. It proposes that retail centre image is not just
Limited 1463-578X
DOI 10.1108/14635780410550858 relevant to marketers and retailers, but is
also of increasing importance to property managers who need an informed consumer Retail centre
orientation in order to create and sustain property value. The paper begins by image
reviewing the contribution of research within human geography to behavioural studies
of property market decision making as well as acknowledging the behavioural focus
of recent property research.
Literature review
299
The importance of the preconscious and the emotional has been recognised within the
context of property markets by human geographers over a number of years. This discipline
group offers useful insights for those interested in the application of behavioural studies to
real estate decision making as it focuses on spatial outcomes and built environments.
Writers such as Brown and Moore (1970) and Clark and Cadwallader (1973) have
postulated the subjective and idiosyncratic nature of housing market search and residential
mobility. Simon (1952, 1957) offered the framework of bounded rationality and decision
making as “satisficing” behaviour. Clark and Smith (1982) argued that the household
search for a new home is very selective, based primarily on existing feelings for, and
awareness of a known locality or action space and is aimed at satisfying rather than
optimising utility. Brown and Moore (1970) postulated the classic three stage model of
stress, search and evaluation as an explanation for housing location choice. Smith and
Mertz (1980) defined a decision frontier to include change in preferences and
opportunities throughout the housing search period with special reference to the influence
of real estate agents. Potter (1977) applied Horton and Reynolds’ (1971) distinction
between action space and activity space to shopping behaviour to theorise on consumer
information fields versus usage fields. Downs (1970) argued that in terms of explaining
shopping centre patronage store image was very complex and that the tangible and
intangible elements of a centre could not be separated easily. Rushton (1969, 1976)
developed the revealed space preference approach which proposed that consumers rank
alternative shopping centres on a scale of internally constructed “preferredness”. Rushton
argued that shopping behaviour could be predicted from a knowledge of preferences and
that these preferences could be measured by means of MDS of pair wise comparison data.
Timmermans et al. (1982) used the MDS approach to suggest that size and accessibility
were the aspects of shopping centres that individuals consider most often.
As a research psychologist Zajonc (1980) has demonstrated that rational decision

making, the weighing of advantages and disadvantages is most commonly used to
justify original decisions:
We buy the cars we like, choose the houses that we find attractive and then justify those
choices by various reasons that might appear convincing. But we need not convince
ourselves. We know what we like.
An important interpretation of real estate market behaviour lies within the context of
consumers “knowing” what they like, of feelings predicating decision, of “in the
head”, often non conscious processes, determining choice. Levy (1995) has argued
that for those interested in real estate choices it is “beneficial to draw on marketing
research techniques that permit a deeper understanding of how consumers perform in
real life situations”. Such an approach leads to a consideration of behavioural research
methodologies such as MDS that aim to identify “in the head” processes. Within the
JPIF area of property market research MDS has been applied as a means of understanding
22,4 residential choice and hence price (Hourihan, 1979), weighting of property attributes
and hence value (Horner, 1984), as well as retail centre image and hence patronage
(Jain and Etgar, 1977; Burt and Carralero-Encinas, 2000). Based on a large sample of
professional valuers in Sydney, Parker (1997) was able to identify the relative
positions in perceptual space of capitalisation rate determinants such as planning,
300 location, alternative investments, economic environment, tenant and risk assessment.
Within retail market research MDS has been used in particular to identify the
dimensions underlying the perception of retailing structures as a means of explaining
store “image”. In 1958 Martineau identified that for most consumers retail centres
have an image or “personality” that is composed of at least two dimensions. One
dimension that is functional and reflects attributes such as size, range of goods, prices
and store layout, and one that is psychological and captures the atmosphere in terms
of sense of belonging or friendliness. These are dimensions based on the subjectively
judgement of shoppers rather than on the objective properties of the centre. Lindquist
(1973) identified three main factors – merchandise, service and location, when
isolating the components of retail store image. Using MDS, Mazursky and Jacoby
(1986) identified that store image constructs were based first, on information about
the merchandise and the visual content of the store, and second, on information
related to location, policy and service. More recently image research has been applied
to Internet retailing with writers such as Jones and Biasiotto (1999) suggesting that
Web pages which mimic and present a virtual store “image” are more likely to be
translated into Web page “hits” and thereafter into retail sales.
May (1973) and Hansen and Deutscher (1977) identified how image as viewed by
the consumer could be used to improve retail performance. Retailers which met or
exceeded customer expectations would enjoy repeat purchasers and increased loyalty.
Store image as perceived by consumers could help retailers to measure critical service
elements, improve promotions and justify the refurbishment and enlarging of floor
areas. More recently MDS has been recognised as important in identifying the extent
to which retailer and customer store images are similar (Oppewal and Timmermans,
1997; Birtwistle et al., 1999). Such research has recognised a gap in that retailers
consistently overrate their stores image when compared to customer perceptions.
MDS has been used also to identify the dimensions existing within managerial
perceptions of marketing performance (Clark, 2000).
This paper would propose that customer store image is not just relevant to
marketers and retailers, but is also of importance to property managers who need an
informed consumer orientation in order to create and sustain property value. Howard
(1997) reasons that the emphasis on retail centres as investment assets dominated by
pension funds, insurance companies and property companies reinforces the need for
retail property management to be more broadly based. Property managers need to
recognise that a shopping centre can, and should be marketed as an entity and that a
centre has image and brand characteristics that can be managed, promoted and
improved. Howard (1997) suggests that property managers need to see their role as
more than monitoring security, cleaning and promotions. She argues for customer-led
property management based on developing partnerships with retailers and providing
the right environment for business rather than simply managing a service to tenants.
In this way the manager should be seeking to provide a total shopping product to the
customer based on recognising that a shopping centre is more than a collection of Retail centre
retailers. Property management, which is not only tenant, but also customer oriented, image
will recognise that shopping centres offer a mix of feelings and impressions, services
and functions that need be pleasurable, comfortable and easily understood. This paper
would argue that the degree to which this is achieved is reflected by retail image and
that this can be illustrated for managers in a practical way by MDS.
301
Methodology
MDS has been developed to explore the feelings or perceptions which are considered as
underlying structures within a set of preferences. MDS is attempting to make observable
“in the head” processes or constructs that may determine for example the evaluation of
residential views, the choice of commercial office space or the patronage of shopping
centres. MDS is useful as it can produce a visual geometrical representation of subjective
constructs or dimensions that would otherwise be hidden within the data. It assumes that
“geometric space is equal to psychological space” (Ferguson and Kerrin, 1997). It
provides a visual representation deemed a “perception map” on which objects that are
close together are deemed similar or close together in terms of preference. In MDS the
focus is not on the objects themselves, but on how an individual perceives or interprets
them. The challenge is to understand the subjective dimensions along which items are
placed and then relate these to objective judgements. This in turn should help to predict
behaviour with respect to consumer choice.
The first task in MDS is to identify the relevant issues that pertain to a particular
object. This may be devised though survey work, focus groups, or talking to experts
in order to determine the main items that are likely to dominate a purchasers
evaluation of a site, a consumer’s preference for a shopping center or a tenant’s
choice of office space. One must also determine if such issues are really comparable.
An implicit assumption within MDS is that there are common characteristics either
objective or perceived that the respondent can use for evaluations that will then allow
such items to be commonly scaled along one or more dimension.
Typically MDS is carried out in terms of the evaluation of comparison of items. This is
based on a rating of similarities between items or preferences for items. Thus in MDS data
based on similarities or on preferences can be used. It is a decompositional method which
measures only the overall impression of evaluation of an object and then attempts to
derive spatial positions in multidimensional space that reflect these perceptions. The
second approach is by using similarity data. The researcher is trying to determine which
items are the most similar to each other and which are most dissimilar. Respondents are
asked to rank or rate the similarity of pairs of items for instance Brand A against Brand B,
or View Z against View Y. Measures of similarity can be estimated and used to produce
maps where distance between items indicates dissimilarity (Hair et al., 1998). Similarity
data can also be based on derived measures. Derived measures are typically based on
scores given to objects by respondents using semantic differential scales. MDS techniques
can combine respondents and aggregate results. Aggregation is based on an understanding
of the overall evaluation of objects and the dimensions employed in those evaluations.
MDS, while having no constraining assumptions on methodology, type of data or form of
relationships among the variables, does assume that all respondents will perceive an object
using the same dimensions though these may not possess the same importance for all
respondents.
JPIF In 1997 as part of an annual retail market research exercise conducted in Adelaide,
22,4 South Australia shoppers were surveyed at two competing suburban retail centres. As
part of the project which included demographic analyses of the primary trade areas,
shoppers were asked a range of questions with respect to distance travelled, frequency
of shopping, household characteristics, income levels, mode of transport and
evaluation of shopping centre items. A total of 119 shoppers were surveyed, 55 in
302 Shopping Centre A (GLA 11,484m2) and 64 in Shopping Centre B (GLA 5,143m2).
At Shopping Centre A all of the retail outlets, including a large department store are
found within the centre. Shopping Centre B has one large food/department store
tenant with a number of smaller, externally accessed shops. Both centres have a
comparable mix of retail outlets including newsagency, fast food, florist, bakery and
delicatessen. Shoppers were interviewed over two days and represented what was
basically a convenience sample of those who were willing to co-operate on the day.
Shoppers were asked to evaluate their local centre based on seven attributes using a
five-point semantic differential scale from very bad to very good. These items
included availability of parking, level of prices, atmosphere, quality of service, fast
food facilities, range of shops and opening hours. The responses were aggregated and
then evaluated to create similarity measures between the attributes. The proximities
and ALSCAL routines within SPSS created distances from the ordinal data based on
an Euclidean scaling model of two dimensions. Group plots of the aggregated data
were produced, the so-called “perception maps” which placed the seven attributes in
geometric space along two dimensions.
Results and interpretation

Optimal statistical fit for a multidimensional model is indicated by two statistics, a “stress”
statistic and RSQ (Norusis, 1993). The Kruskals s-stress statistic is similar to the residual
sum of squares in regression analysis and as such measures departure from perfect fit (Jain
and Etgar, 1977). Stress is minimised when the objects are placed in a map configuration
where the distances best reflect the original distances obtained from the respondents. A s-
stress value below 0.1 and an RSQ value approaching unity indicate a good fit. However
as fit improves with increased number of dimensions a balance has to achieved between
complexity and fit (Ferguson and Kerrin, 1997). Generally one should seek the best fit
possible with the smallest number of dimensions.
Group plots, s-stress statistics and RSQ values are displayed for each centre
(Figures 1 and 2). The position of the attributes relative to each other reflects either
their similarity or dissimilarity in terms of shopper evaluation. The dimensions offer
the opportunity to explore any relationships that may exist between the seven
attributes under evaluation, relationships about which the shoppers themselves may be
unaware but will influence overall their patronage of the shopping centre. Descriptive
analysis alone of the evaluations based on semantic differential scales would not
allow for such links to be identified nor would it allow for the relative positions of the
attributes to be identified. Both outputs satisfied the MDS tests in terms of fit
(CentreAs 7 stress ¼ 0:1 RSQ ¼ 0:94, CentreBs 7 stress ¼ 0:02 RSQ ¼ 0:9) which
implies that the two-dimensional configuration are adequate reflections of the original
differences in evaluation.
Figure 1 reveals that for Shopping Centre A, parking lies at the extreme positive end of
Dimension 1, while range of shops and fast food are both at the negative end of the
Retail centre
image
303
Figure 1.
Aggregated perception
map Shopping Centre A
Figure 2.
Aggregated perception
map Shopping Centre B
JPIF dimension. Along Dimension 2 prices and atmosphere are positive while service is
22,4 strongly negative with fast food and opening hours in the middle range. This would
suggest that Dimension 1 is depicting the functional or physical aspects of the centre
based primarily on accessibility issues. Dimension 2 which captures atmosphere
relative to service, would appear to represent the more intangible qualities of the centre
based on the emotional response of customers to the centre. This interpretation is
304 supported by Martineau’s (1958) evaluation of a centre image or “personality” based on
a functional dimension linked to service items and on a psychological dimension linked
to feelings of comfort and friendliness. It also ties in with explanations by Lindquist
(1973) and Mazursky and Jacoby (1986) who have linked retail image to an external
dimension based on parking and location items and an internal dimension related to
visual content and internal experience of the store. One of the strongest impressions
Centre A is making on shoppers is in terms of accessibility, either good or bad
depending on the item. Another strong component of retail image is based upon the
quality of the internal shopping experience which again is either positive or negative
depending on the item.
Figure 2 shows that for Shopping Centre B parking is a strong but single positive
along Dimension 1 with all the other attributes positioned closely together on the
negative side. Along Dimension 2 service is strongly positive, followed by price with
atmosphere strongly negative. In this case Dimension 2 is likely to be depicting the
more subjective aspects of the centre. However Dimension 1 is less easily identified.
Again it may be capturing the functional qualities of the centre. The quality of the
internal shopping experience or “feel” of the centre would appear to be an extremely
important in terms of Centre B. Again depending on the item this can be strongly
positive as with service, or strongly negative as for atmosphere. The functional
aspects of the centre in term of location and access do not appear to be as important in
terms of retail image.
Thus the dimensions which are the elements of retail image are similar for both
outlets. However shopper impressions of Centre A are more strongly aligned to
functional form including access and location, while the image of Centre B is linked
strongly to the less tangible aspects of the retail centre. Both these images tie in with
the built form of the centre; A has only internal shopping while B retains some
external opportunities. This serves to support the validity of MDS in capturing
shopper perception. In terms of ongoing management it is important to recognise that
for shoppers using Centre A accessibility leaves a particularly strong impression
either good or bad. For those managing Centre B it is should be important to
appreciate that the internal shopping experience at this centre leaves customers with a
very strong feeling either positive or negative. Such interpretations would be
especially useful for managers if images could be compared over time across
competitive centres and between tenants and customers. The impact of changes such
as tenant mix, refits or new stores on shopper evaluation could be monitored and
mapped along with levels of patronage.
Conclusion
MDS requires caution in interpretation but can offer interesting insights into market
evaluations of property attributes. It is recognised that for retail centre participants
MDS is only a first step in appraising the imagery or “in the head” constructs of these
environments but it does provide guidelines as to the direction of further research and Retail centre
should be accepted at least as an exploratory research tool. It enables a feel for the image
less tangible aspects of a market with findings and suggestions that can be explored
using other techniques such as conjoint or correspondence analysis. Property
management which is not only tenant, but also customer oriented, will recognise that
MDS provides an important step in identifying people’s first impressions of real
estate environments, of how they “feel” about property attributes. This evaluation of 305
attributes is important where rationality may not necessarily determine choice.
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Decision-making
The decision-making behaviour of behaviour
office occupiers
Chris Leishman
Department of Building Engineering and Surveying, Heriot-Watt 307
University, Riccarton, UK
Craig Watkins Received January 2002
Department of Land Economy, University of Aberdeen, Kings College,
Aberdeen, UK
Keywords Decision making, Office buildings
Abstract Typically, studies of the occupiers’ choice of office property have focused on the
influence of location. Following the standard behavioural assumptions of neo-classical
economics, the firm is assumed to make the rational profit-maximising decision on the basis of full
information. All firms are implicitly assumed to be homogeneous. This general approach
eliminates much of the complexity from the decision-making process. This paper uses evidence
from a survey of over 100 office occupiers in Edinburgh to examine the influence of a broader
range of factors on individual firms’ choice of office. Using logistic regression techniques on the
survey data, the empirical analysis shows that by taking account of heterogeneity of firms, it is
possible to identify the type of property occupied. Firms’ decisions are closely related to their size,
business type and whether the market they serve is local, regional or national.
1. Introduction
From a contents analysis of the major US and UK real estate journals, Levy and
Henry (2001) provide evidence of the increasing methodological domination of
applied neo-classical economics. Although, in a recent review article, Diaz (1999)
highlighted the mutli-disciplinary nature of UK property research, and, in particular,
work on the development process which adopts institutionalist and structure-agency
perspectives, this new evidence suggests that published work in British outlets is
starting to follow the lead from the USA where the neo-classical approach has
dominated for three decades.
Clapp and Myers (2000) outline the extent to which urban property research has
undergone a Kuhnian paradigm shift. The rich tradition of applied “real estate and urban
land economics” that can traced from James A. Graaskamp, through Richard Ratcliff,
Homer Hoyt and Ernest Fisher back to Richard T. Ely was overthrown by the urban
economics paradigm (or the new urban economics (NUE)) in the 1960s and 1970s (Weiss,
2000). This change heralded the substitution of inductive methods, based on the direct
observation of facts, by deductive modes of thought that deploy a set of assumptions in
order to deduce logical conclusions. The adoption of this mode of reasoning imposes
constraints on the types of research questions that might be asked and the methods that can
usefully be applied. Consequently researchers have focused on property market outcomes Journal of Property Investment &
(such as prices, and levels of development activity) and have sought to derive and test Finance
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004
parsimonious explanations of these observed phenomena. Typically this has been based on pp. 307-319
the development of increasingly sophisticated econometric models. The process, by which q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1463-578X
observed prices and output DOI 10.1108/14635780410550876
JPIF levels are established, is treated as a black box, with human behaviour reduced to a
22,4 number of simplifying assumptions. The neo-classical model is predicated on the
notion that the market comprises rational actors operating with perfect information in
an environment of costless transactions. It is also assumed that property can be treated
as a homogenous commodity and that consumers of space are also homogenous.
McMaster and Watkins (2000) are critical of the extent to which this approach
308 circumscribes the scope of real estate research. They explore the limitations of the
NUE and suggest that it might be fruitful to reintroduce some of the ideas from Ely’s
work. Specifically they highlight the policy impact of the analytical work of Grigsby,
Rapkin and others, which is in the Ely tradition (see Grigsby, 1963). They argue that
real estate analysts need to learn more about market process and, in particular,
highlight the need to examine the role of agents in the market, the property search
process, consumer decision making, the nature and flow of market information, and
the way in which prices are set. This assessment is reflective of the concerns of
institutional economists and the evolving applied behavioural property research
agenda (see D’Arcy and Keogh, 2000). The behavioural agenda, in particular, has
begun raise new questions about the search process in real estate markets (Baryla et
al., 2000); role and influence of agents (Zumpano et al., 1996); the use of market
information in the negotiation process (Black and Diaz, 1996); and the influence of
actors in the valuation process (Gallimore, 1994; Diaz, 1990).
This paper seeks to add to the behavioural agenda by examining the decisions
made by office occupiers. To date studies of office occupiers’ choices have taken the
form of location choice models. These studies have been based on the textbook
theoretical proposition that office location decisions are influenced by factor costs,
transport and communication costs, the quality of the urban environment and
agglomeration economies (Ball et al., 1998; Evans, 1985; Goddard, 1975). Empirical
research has confirmed that the desire of office occupiers to locate in the core of the
city has tended to push up rents in the central business district, giving rise to a
negatively sloped bid-rent curve (Dunse et al., forthcoming; Bollinger et al., 1998;
Mills, 1992). These studies, however, have stripped out the complexity of the
decision-making process and, consequently, ignore the importance of factors other
than rent and location in shaping decisions. The approach used in this paper combines
survey evidence with logistic regression methods in order to assess the relative
importance of a range of factors, including the characteristics of the firm, in
determining the choice of office space to be occupied. The model developed allows us
to identify the firms’ choice of property type from its size and business profile and
can be used as a marketing device for agents to match office users to available space.
The paper is organised as follows. Section 2 seeks to establish the motivation for
this research. It begins by presenting the standard neo-classical treatment of the office
location decision and then considers the extent to which behavioural changes have
begun to present a challenge to this model. The review concludes by highlighting the
need to develop an understanding of factors influencing individual firms’ choice of
property in the office market. In section 3 we outline the data and research methods
used in the paper. Section 4 summarises the empirical results. Using a detailed dataset
of physical office characteristics matched to occupier profiles, we consider the extent
to which it is possible to establish the office location decisions of different groups of
occupiers by allowing for the heterogeneity of firms. In the final section of the paper,
in addition to summarising our findings, we make the case for further research based on Decision-making
survey data. Following Kummerow (2000) we note that real estate research would benefit behaviour
from the combination of different research techniques. Indeed there is a clear need for a
multi-disciplinary and methodologically diverse real estate research agenda.
2. Office location decisions: models and behaviour

Since the seminal contribution of Wingo, Alonso and Muth in the 1960s, economic
309
studies of urban land and property markets have been dominated by the theoretical
models of the NUE. A major strand of this literature has focused on the office
location decision. The NUE model posits that firms’ trade-off access to the benefits of
the city centre against space. This model is predicated on several key behavioural
assumptions, which include the notion that rational actors are operating with perfect
information in a market in which transactions are costless. Demand is highest for
central business district (CBD) locations because they offer better access to services,
better access to labour, improved communications technology and infrastructure and
better client and market information (Daniels, 1991). As Ball et al. (1998) explain the
central location provides benefits from both agglomeration economies and from the
embedded infrastructure and institutions that facilitate communication and
investment. Demand declines as we move away from the CBD and gives rise to a
negatively sloped bid-rent curve.
These “trade-off” models have given rise to a voluminous literature that seeks to
tests, directly and indirectly, its explanatory power and the validity of the behavioural
assumptions. Using hedonic rental estimates, Mills (1992), Bollinger et al. (1998) and
others have provided evidence to support the expected spatial distribution of rental
values. The survey work of Wyatt (1999) is also supportive of the pull of the CDB.
The evidence, however, is not conclusive. Using a similar approach Dunse et al.
(forthcoming), for example, demonstrate that while the model usefully explains the
spatial structure of the Edinburgh office market, it fails to uncover important
cleavages between distinct submarkets in Glasgow. They suggest that, in part, the
limitations of the model relate to its failure to capture changes in behavioural
influences on the real estate market.
Similarly, Ball et al. (1998) argue that shifts in form of business organisation
might have eroded the influence of agglomeration economies. The growth of the
information technology (IT) sector and changes in functional specification of office
space may mean that the traditional spatial distribution of rents may no longer hold.
These influences may be compounded by impact of changing working practices on
the property market. Gibson and Lizieri (1998, 1999) discuss the likely effects of
telecommuting, outsourcing, hot-desking and other trends in business practice.
O’Roarty (2001) has highlighted the influence on office user requirements of changes
in historical work practices, organisational structures and hierarchies and changing
business strategies including the influence of outsourcing and new technology. In
addition, Keeble and Tyler (1995) highlight the extent to which institutional factors
can distort location decisions. They show that government grants, for example, can
lead to sub-optimal location decisions. There is also evidence that, in the case of
smaller firms, there are links between office and housing location decisions. In their
study of the South-West of England, Keeble and Tyler (1995) show that in excess of a
third of location decisions are influenced by nearness to the founders’ homes.
JPIF 3. Data and research methods
22,4 In the empirical part of this paper we extend earlier work on two different aspects of
office market analysis. In the first study Dunse et al. (2001a) examine the spatial
structures of the Glasgow and Edinburgh office markets using traditional hedonic
techniques. In the second, Dunse et al. (2001b) use survey evidence to compare the
stated preferences of office occupiers in Edinburgh with agents’ perceptions of
310 occupiers’ preferences. In this paper we are concerned with the behaviour of different
types of firms (office occupiers) in the office user market. Specifically, we examine
the (implicit) assumption of neoclassical urban location theory that occupiers are a
homogeneous group and consider the extent to which the heterogeneity of office users
influences their choice of property.
The empirical results presented below are based on a study of 119 office occupiers
in the Edinburgh office market. The dataset links information on the location and
physical attributes of individual offices with qualitative data on the occupiers’
primary business function and market size. The office stock data are provided by the
Scottish Property Network (SPN), which is a joint venture between the University of
Paisley and Scottish Enterprise. The qualitative data are drawn from an ongoing study
into the characteristics of office occupiers in which data are collected from occupiers
using a combination of postal surveys and telephone interviews [1].
The firms’ location choices were made between 1995 and 1999. The occupiers are
coded into six categories according to their primary business activity. These
categories are shown below.
(1) professional services;
(2) financial services;
(3) recruitment and training;
(4) business services;
(5) offices linked to manufacturing or construction firms; and
(6) others.
Our central hypothesis is that firms (office occupiers) are not identical and that the
characteristics of occupiers are of value in predicting their location/space
consumption decisions. The analysis is developed in two stages. In the first stage we
construct a nominal (categorical) variable that describes the important characteristics
of office properties taken on by the sample of 119 occupiers. This is achieved by
undertaking cluster analysis to group similar observations on the basis of a set of eight
categorical variables that together measure variance in the physical attributes of
transacted office properties. Although cluster analysis has been applied in property
market analysis in order to classify local and regional markets (Jackson, 2002; Hoesli
et al., 1997), this approach is closer to that used in the identification of housing
submarkets literature (Bourassa et al., 1999). The procedure allows us to reduce the
heterogeneous stock into a categorical variable based on four distinct product types.
In the second stage we test our hypothesis by constructing and estimating a
multinomial logistic (MNL) regression model in which firms’ choice of office property (as
measured by the new categorical variable) is a function of their broad corporate
characteristics, including main business activity, a proxy for firm size, and the spatial
dimensions of the market they serve. The interpretation of the coefficients in this
equation allows us to isolate the factors that most usefully help predict the individual Decision-making
firms choice of office unit. behaviour
4. Empirical results
Table I shows the most common (mode) values of the physical attribute categorical
variables broken down by business category of firm. The physical attribute variables
are defined in Table II. 311
The figures in Table I show that there is little variation within some of the physical
attribute variables. In terms of construction type (CT), all firms located in “period”
buildings with the exception of those businesses linked to local manufacturing or
construction activity. A majority of these firms located in “traditional construction”
buildings. Similarly, there is little variation in terms of the recorded property
condition (PCOND) of offices occupied by the firms examined.
The variables that describe finish type (FINTY) and size (SIZEBAND) show
greater variation. Professional firms and others (mainly government offices) locate
primarily in high specification space while firms in the business services or
recruitment/training sectors locate primarily in second-hand cosmetically refurbished
space. This also applies to occupiers linked to the manufacturing and construction
sectors. Firms in the financial services sector locate primarily in refurbished space.
SUB AGE SIZE

CT PCOND FINTY TYPE BAND BAND
Firm type n % n % n % n % n % n % Cases
1 6 68.4 6 52.6 7 47.4 4 73.7 5 89.5 2 63.2 19

2 6 50.0 4 42.9 5 50.0 4 57.1 5 71.4 3 50.0 14
3 6 80.0 6 73.3 3 46.7 4 93.3 5 93.3 2 46.7 15 Table I.
4 6 56.5 6 60.9 3 60.9 4 69.6 5 87.0 2 60.9 23 Most common values of
5 4 43.8 4/6 37.5 3 37.5 1 43.8 5 43.8 3 37.5 16 categorical variables by
6 6 62.5 6 65.6 7 40.6 4 68.8 5 90.6 2 43.8 32 firm business type
Variable Variable description Category Description
CT Construction type 4 Traditional construction

6 Period building
PCOND Property condition 4 Good
6 Unknown
FINTY Finish type 3 Decorated
5 Refurbished
7 High specification
ST Subtype 1 Cellular
4 Multi-storey
AGEBAND Age band 5 Pre-1960 Table II.
SIZEBAND Size band 2 100-199m2 Definition of categorical
3 200-499m2 variables
JPIF Examination of the size band variable indicates that the sample includes firms in the
professional service, recruitment and training, business service sectors and others that
22,4
locate mainly in units of between 100 and 199m2. Those in the financial service
sector and those linked to the manufacturing and construction sectors located mainly
in units of between 200 and 500m2.
As Table I indicates, the number of occupiers within each of the business activity
312 categories is broadly even, ranging from 14 to 32. Table III sets out the mean values
of the continuous stock attribute variables including property size, rent (per m 2),
distance from the city centre and two measures of specification. Table IV sets out the
definitions of these variables in more detail.
Table III indicates greater variation in the office characteristics occupied by the six
categories of firm than suggested in Table I. Professional firms and those in the
recruitment and training sector occupy relatively small units with a mean of 130 and
141m2 respectively and low standard deviations. There appears to be some similarity
between the unit sizes occupied by firms in the financial service and business service
sectors (approximately 300m2), although it should be noted that the standard
deviations are considerable for firms in these sectors. There is less variation in terms
of unit rent though rents paid by professional firms and those in financial services are
slightly higher and firms in the “other” category (mainly government offices) are
slightly lower than average.
Office occupiers linked to the manufacturing and construction sectors occupy space
with the highest specification attribute score which is based on lighting type, heating type,
number of lifts, ventilation and so on. The lowest scores for this categorical variable are
for “other” firms and professional firms. This is broadly in keeping with prior
expectations. The highest score for the second attribute score variable is for firms
PSIZE RENT ATTSCORE1 ATTSCORE2 DIST

Firm type Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
1 130 63 121 29 0.95 1.08 1.37 1.34 1,274 1,696

2 297 229 124 54 1.79 1.25 1.29 0.73 1,064 1,449
Table III. 3 141 80 114 26 1.67 1.29 1.67 0.72 563 352
Mean values of 4 305 649 119 48 1.39 1.80 1.48 0.73 1,389 1,067
continuous variables by 5 228 171 119 46 2.13 1.50 1.31 0.95 2,297 1,808
firm business type 6 199 162 109 40 0.91 0.86 1.34 0.90 1,705 2,280
Variable Description
PSIZE Property size (square metres)
RENT Rent (per square metre)
ATTSCORE1 Property specification score (lighting type, heating
type, lifts, ventilation and so on)
Table IV. ATTSCORE2 Property secondary specification score (number of
Description of continuous floors, layout of reception area and so on)
variables DIST Distance from the city centre (metres)
in the recruitment and training sector. This variable primarily describes floorspace Decision-making
layout and the standard of the reception area. behaviour
This simple descriptive analysis tends to suggest that there are some significant
differences between the physical and quality aspects of office space targeted by firms
in different economic sectors. In the remainder of this section we concentrate on the
construction of a simple predictive model of occupiers’ choice of office space. There
are two basic steps to the construction of the model. In the first, we employ cluster 313
analysis in order to draw the 119 office properties into broadly homogenous “property
type” groups using the eight physical attribute categorical variables. In the second
step we estimate a simple multinomial logistic regression model in which the
probability that firms will locate in each of the property types is postulated as a
function of their business activity and geographical focus.
Table V sets out the results of the k-means cluster analysis. Based on the results of
an earlier round of hierarchical cluster analysis (not shown here for the sake of
brevity), the data are drawn into four clusters.
Table VI describes the inherent characteristics of office properties in each of the
four clusters.
Tables VIII and IX show the results of the multinomial logistic regression analysis.
The model is specified as follows:
Cluster
Variable 1 2 3 4
CT 2 5 6 7
PCOND 5 6 5 5
FINTY 4 6 3 6
SUBTYPE 1 3 4 3
AGEBAND 1 5 5 5
SIZEBAND 3 2 2 2
SPECSC1 4 1 1 1 Table V.
SPECSC2 1 2 1 1 Results of cluster
Cases 11 39 48 21 analysis
Cluster Description
1 200-500m2 of high specification cellular fitted and

decorated space in a modern building
2 100-199 m2 high specification, mixed cellular/open
plan space in tenement-style building with
unrecorded interior condition or in moderate
decorative order
3 100-199 m2 refurbished mixed cellular / open plan
space over several floors in period building Table VI.
4 100-199 m2 of new, high specification, mixed Description of “property
cellular/open plan space in a pavilion style building type” clusters
þ
þ þ m
JPIF a
j P b x
1kj 1i
P
b2 lj x2i
P
b3mjx3i
k l
22,4 e P P P
pij ¼ aj b1kj x1i b2 lj x2i b3mj x3i ð1Þ
Pe þk þl þm
j
314 where:
p
ij probability that the ith occupier will locate in the jth property type cluster
( j ¼ 1; 2; 3; 4).
x1 occupier market size ( k ¼ 0; 1; . . .; 3).
x2 occupier size proxy (l ¼ 0; 1; 2).
x3 occupier business category (m ¼ 0; 1; . . .; 5).
a constant (intercept); specific to the jth property type cluster.
b1 parameter on the occupier market size variable (x1); specific to the jth cluster
and the ith value of x1.
b2 parameter on the occupier size proxy variable (x2); specific to the jth cluster
and the ith value of x2.
b3 parameter on the occupier business category variable (x3); specific to the jth
cluster and the ith value of x3.
The model includes three independent categorical variables. These relate to market
size (MKT) which is defined as international, national, regional or urban; a proxy for
firm size (ENTRIES) based on a simple categorisation of the number of yellow page
entries for each firm; and business type (BUSTYPE) which is defined in the list of
business categories of owner above. The normalisation is achieved by setting the
fourth alternative (property type ¼ 4) as a benchmark such that a4 ¼ b4 ¼ 0.
In Table VII the likelihood ratio test is for the hypothesis that the parameters of the
independent variables are equal to zero. This null hypothesis is easily rejected. The
Cox and Snell, Nagelkerke and McFadden statistics are so-called pseudo-R-square
statistics and are standard SPSS output. The Nagelkerke measure is often preferred
since it ranges from 0 to 1 while Cox and Snell, for example, has a maximum that is
less than 1. The pseudo-R-square measures indicate a reasonable level of fit. Table
VIII sets out the parameter estimates.
The empirical results are shown for property type categories 1, 2 and 3. The
benchmark is therefore category 4. The exponentiated parameter estimates (Exp(B))
Model 22 Log Likelihood Chi-Square Df Sig.
Intercept only 201.610

Table VII. Final 125.098 76.51187 30 0.000
Multinomial logistic Cox and Snell 0.474
regression results – Nagelkerke 0.516
model fit McFadden 0.256
Property type Variable B Std. Error Wald Sig. Exp(B)
Decision-making
behaviour
1 Intercept 0.198 1.626 0.015
Market ¼ national – – – – –
Market ¼ international 19.271 1.280 226.524 *** 2.341E+8
Market ¼ urban 20.888 1.543 0.331 0.412
Market ¼ regional 22.830 1.669 2.876 * 0.059 315
One directory entry – – – – –
Two or more directory entries 5.888 1.733 11.545 *** 360.559
No directory entries 21.165 1.687 157.428 *** 1.555E+9
Firm ¼ manuf/construction – – – – –
Firm ¼ other 221.062 6,064.857 0.000 0.000
Firm ¼ professional 222.863 9,131.220 0.000 0.000
Firm ¼ financial services 23.235 1.847 3.066 * 0.039
Firm ¼ recruitment and training 20.423 1.952 0.047 0.655
Firm ¼ business services 20.509 1.722 0.087 0.601
2 Intercept 2.022 1.247 2.630
Market ¼ international 19.255 0.815 557.615 *** 2.303E+8
Market ¼ urban 20.930 0.891 1.089 0.394
Market ¼ regional 20.584 0.894 0.427 0.557
Two or more directory entries 2.591 1.255 4.263 ** 13.345
No directory entries 20.812 0.873 568.619 *** 1.093E+9
Firm ¼ manuf / construction – – – – –
Firm ¼ other 21.133 1.271 0.795 0.322
Firm ¼ professional 22.890 1.319 4.803 ** 0.056
Firm ¼ financial services 22.759 1.490 3.429 * 0.063
Firm ¼ business services 21.555 1.442 1.162 0.211
3 Intercept 0.511 1.309 0.152
Market ¼ international 19.327 0.000 2.476E+8
Market ¼ urban 0.739 0.805 0.842 2.094
Market ¼ regional 20.281 0.902 0.097 0.755
Two or more directory entries 2.156 1.279 2.839 * 8.633
No directory entries 19.193 0.000 2.165E+8
Firm ¼ manuf/construction – – – – –
Firm ¼ other 20.087 1.308 0.004 0.916
Firm ¼ professional 21.476 1.347 1.201 0.228
Firm ¼ financial services 21.432 1.553 0.850 0.239
Table VIII.
Firm ¼ business services 0.727 1.412 0.265 2.068 Multinomial logistic
Notes: * Significant at 10 per cent; ** Significant at 5 per cent; *** Significant at 1 per cent regression results
represent the probability of a change in the dependent categorical variable in response to a

change in category of the individual independent variables. In other words, when we
examine the Exp(B) value for “Market ¼ regional” in relation to property type 1 we are
considering the change to the probability that a firm will locate in property type 1 rather
than property type 4 if that firm had a regional market rather than a national
JPIF market. There is a benchmark category for each of the independent variables. The
22,4 benchmarks are national market, one yellow pages entry and firms with their main
business linked with the manufacturing or construction sectors. The key empirical
results can be summarised as follows:
(1) Firms are more likely to locate in type 1 property than type 4 if:
.their market is international rather than national;
316
.they have 2 or more yellow page entries; and
.they have no yellow page entries.
(2) Firms are less likely to locate in type 1 property than type 4 if:
.their market is regional; and
.their main business is in financial services.
.their market is international;
.they have two or more Yellow Page entries; and
.they have no Yellow Page entries.
(4) Firms are less likely to locate in type 2 property than type 4 if:
.their main business is in professional services; and
.their main business is in financial services.
.they have two or more Yellow Page entries
Overall, these results are broadly in line with expectations. One surprising aspect of
the results, however, is that several of the business type categories are not significant.
Nevertheless, the results indicate that even simplistic categorisation of occupiers
provides some ability to predict their behaviour with respect to location decisions and
space consumption. As Table IX indicates, the model may be used to predict the
property type selected by the firms included in the sample with the model predicting
correctly 58 per cent of the time.
5. Conclusions
In mainstream neo-classical economic analyses urban office markets are depicted as
coherent, unitary entities. Individual firms are assumed to be rational, profit maximisers
whose selection of office property will be dominated by a trade-off between
Predicted
Observed 1 2 3 4 Percent correct
1 6 2 3 0 54.6
2 1 23 10 5 59.0
Table IX. 3 0 15 29 4 60.4
Classification/prediction 4 1 4 5 11 52.4
table Overall % 6.7 37.0 39.5 16.8 58.0
accessibility and space. There will be an observable negatively sloped rent gradient Decision-making
that can be explained by the influence of agglomeration economies and transport behaviour
costs.
In reality, however, the process by which firms match themselves to office units is
much more complex than a simple location choice decision. Some observers have
noted the tendency towards decentralisation with the growing importance of IT
requirements and flexible working practices (Ball et al., 1998). This implies that the 317
influence of rent and location may now be dampened by additional concerns. Other
observers highlight the tendency of consumers to engage in satisficing behaviour and
to enter into sub-optimal location decisions (Alexander, 1979).
In the empirical part of this paper, we seek to take a less restrictive view of the way
in which firms match themselves to particular units. We do this by analysing evidence
from a survey of 119 office occupiers in Edinburgh. Using cluster analysis
techniques, we construct a classification of property types in the city. We then test
whether the choice of property type can be identified from knowledge about the
characteristics of the firm. The results suggest that firms’ choice of property type will
be contingent on their size, type of business and the geographical extent of their
market. This innovative approach provides new empirical evidence of the way firm
characteristics influence their decision choice. Although it is unclear whether the
results are specific to our case study city, by relaxing the assumption that firms are
homogenous, the empirical work augments existing insights (from mainstream
location decision models) about the structure and operation of urban office markets.
At a general level, this paper seeks to add to the growing “behavioural property”
literature. In focusing on office users’ choice of units, the paper provides an extension
to the existing behavioural studies that have tended to focus on the valuation process
and the role of agents. To a lesser extent, the paper also seeks to make a contribution
to ongoing methodological debates. In discussing the limits inherent in the dominant
quantitative research paradigm, Kummerow (2000) notes that, a partial remedy for
coping with complexity and uncertainty in real estate markets is to combine research
methods. Although Kummerow specifically suggests the combination quantitative and
qualitative techniques to improve information in local applications, this observation
could equally be applied as a rationale for combining data collected by survey
methods with rigorous methods of statistical analysis. This paper is illustrative of the
way in which the analysis of data of this sort can allow us to augment existing
empirical facts. It is also illustrative of the principle that a multi-disciplinary
behavioural research agenda should be developed in order to develop a better
appreciation of the market process occurring in the “black box” that tends to be
assumed away in most quantitative studies of market outcomes.
Note
1. The survey was supported by a research grant from the RICS Education Trust.
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JPIF
22,4 The influence of family members on
housing purchase decisions
Deborah S. Levy
320 Department of Property, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Christina Kwai-Choi Lee
Received January 2002 Department of Marketing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords Family, Decision making, Influence, Real estate
Abstract Families and households make up a significant proportion of the real estate market.
There is, however, little information in mainstream real estate literature on the impact of
family behaviour on real estate decisions. This paper clarifies some of these issues by
analysing and expanding on many of the findings from the marketing literature, in particular
the topic of influence between different family members in the purchase of a new home.
This paper presents some important issues to be considered when examining family
decision-making. These include the roles played by different family members and their
influence at different stages of the decision-making process. It also reports on the findings
of a study involving a series of in-depth interviews with real estate agents to determine their
perception of the family decision-making process in relation to a house purchase decision.
This culminates in a conceptual framework on family decision making specifically for the
purchase of residential real estate, before discussing the implications of these findings to
the general real estate market, including service, promotion and valuation.
1. Introduction
Traditionally the study of real estate has been based on neoclassical economic theory that
assumes individuals make rational economic decisions with a view to maximising utility.
This is reflected in property valuations which are primarily based on physical
characteristics rather than more intangible non-financial factors which are often important
to the purchasers of real estate (Smith et al., 1992) and thus fail to take into account
behavioural issues and processes. To date, research relating to the behavioural issues
relating to the purchase of residential real estate has largely been confined to areas such as
buyer search duration and location and tenure choice (Anglin, 1997; Baryla and Zumpano,
1995; Elder and Zumpano, 1991). Generally these studies do not focus on the dynamics
relating to the decision-making process within the family.
Traditional or neoclassical theory in the past has either ignored the family as an
institution or treated it as if it was a single individual or as if the paternal head of the
household personified the family as a whole (Hodgson, 1999). Hodgson (1999)
suggests that the only mainstream attempt to model the family was undertaken by
Becker (1976, 1991), however Becker’s model assumed a market where marriage and
relationships are formed under contract. Hodgson (1999) asserts that both traditional
theory and mainstream attempts have ignored moral, cultural and institutional
Finance distinction. The implication therefore is that different techniques are required in order
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004
pp. 320-338 to explore family decision-making behaviour.
q Emerald Group Publishing
Limited 1463-578X
The study of consumer behaviour within the marketing literature however, has
DOI 10.1108/14635780410550885 examined many issues regarding the purchasing behaviour of families. Our belief is
that the knowledge gained from this line of research may assist in a better Housing
understanding and prediction of decision-makers’ actions in the real estate market purchase
(Gibler and Nelson, 1998). The focus of this study is, therefore, to determine whether
the extant literature relating to family decision making and family member influence decisions
mirror the decision making process in the purchase of a family home. The purpose is
not to produce definitive conclusions, or to provide generalisable results, but to
provide a basis from which academics and practitioners in real estate can begin to 321
understand and explore this under-researched area.
Part 2 of the paper examines the extant literature relating to family member
influence in the area of purchase decisions and the implications for real estate
purchase decisions. Part 3 reports on the results of a series of individual in-depth
interviews with experienced real estate agents in the Auckland area. From the review
of the literature and information collected from the interviews a revised model of
family decision making relevant to the real estate purchase decision is proposed. This
is followed by a discussion of the implications to the marketing and valuation of real
estate and explores possible avenues for future research.
2.Family and family decision making

A family is defined as “a group of two or more persons related by blood, marriage or
adoption, and residing together as a household” (Lawson et al., 1996). Since the family is
the crucial decision-making unit, the interaction between family members is likely to be
more significant than those of smaller groups, such as friends or colleagues. Several
studies in family decision making have investigated the relative amount of influence
exerted by family members and their influences at each stage of the decision-making
process (e.g. Ferber and Lee, 1974; Haley, Overholser and Associates, Inc., 1975; Davis,
1970; 1971; Beatty and Talpade, 1994; Na et al., 1998; Lee and Marshall, 1998).
Influence involves actions by family members that make a difference during the
decision process (Beatty and Talpade, 1994). Two major types of influence have been
identified, first, direct influence which is “based directly on the decision maker’s own
needs” (Rossiter, 1978). Second, indirect influence “in which the decision maker
takes another family member’s needs indirectly into account” (Rossiter, 1978).
Figure 1 (adapted from Lee, 1992) presents a conceptual framework of family
decision making as it relates to the purchase of a family home. A brief description of
the characteristics identified in this framework are set out below:
. Family characteristics. These include the family life cycle, social class, sex-
role orientation and culture (these aspects are discussed in the next section of
this paper).
. Situational characteristics. These include the concept of perceived risk and
how it relates to time pressure. Sheth (1974) suggest that the higher the risk
perceived in a particular purchase decision the more likely it is for the decision
to be joint. But, the greater the time pressure on a family to make a decision the
more likely it is for the decision to be an individual decision.
. Individual characteristics. Many consumer purchasing decisions are made within a
family unit comprising a small group of individuals, who have different
personalities, preferences, interests, and tastes. When this group of individuals come
together to make a decision, it is inevitable that conflict may occur
JPIF
22,4
322
Figure 1.
Framework of family
decision making as it
relates to the purchase of a
family home
(Sheth, 1974). Conflict occurs when there is a disagreement among the family
members, and this is directly related to the desire to influence other members to
accept one’s own point of view.
The amount of influence exerted by different family members is dependent on how
interested or involved the individual member is in the purchase. For example, if the
woman in the household is interested in the local residential property market and
keeps up to date with recent sales, it is quite possible that she will have most influence
in the housing decision. Similarly, children may not be as interested in the purchase of
the family home and hence may not have a strong influence on the decision.
The following section reports on the outcome of a number of consumer behaviour
studies relating to the different elements of the conceptual framework as presented in
Figure 1; specifically the impact of family characteristics, stages in the decision-
making process, decision-making roles and influence strategies.
2.1. Family characteristics

2.1.1. The family life cycle. The family life cycle describes the changes that occur in
family and household structures as they progress over time. Families in similar stages of
the life cycle share similar demographic, financial and purchasing characteristics. Families
at different life cycle stages may have different interaction patterns with other family
members and use different communication strategies Foxman et al. (1989).
The postponement of marriage and rising divorce rates has given rise to a new Housing
family structure. These new structures include smaller family sizes (the nuclear purchase
family) and single-parent families (Lawson et al., 1996).
2.1.2. Social class (family income). Participation in the family decision-making decisions
process by individual family members also varies by social class (Granbois, 1963, 1971;
Komarovsky, 1961; Slama and Taschian, 1985. For example some studies indicate less
joint decision making in upper and lower socio-economic groups (Granbois, 1963; 323
Komarovsky, 1961). Granbois (1971), however, found the lower the family income and
the greater the cost of the product or service being considered, the greater the tendency for
two of more family members to be involved in the decision making process.
2.1.3. Culture. There is a limited number of cross-cultural studies on family
decision making, but the few which exist suggest that there are differences in
influence patterns between cultures (e.g. Hempel, 1974; Lee et al., 1997; Pervan and
Lee, 1998). For example, while Chinese parents allow their children to voice their
opinions in decisions regarding schooling and restaurant meals, they tend to control
how a decision should be made (Lee et al., 1997; Pervan and Lee, 1998).
2.1.4. Sex-role orientation. Sex-role orientation (SRO) is a theoretical construct that
is used to identify different types of families, based on their family ideology (Qualls,
1987). Families can be identified as being either modern or traditional. This is a reflection
of a family’s attitude toward roles played by husbands and wives. A family with a modern
SRO usually has a more democratic influence structure, and displays a more positive
interaction during the decision-making process (Brinberg and Schwenk, 1985). In more
traditional families, however, the roles played are more gender specific, with a clear
distinction between feminine and masculine type roles where husbands tend to dominate
the decision making process (Green and Cunningham, 1975).
2.2. Stages in the decision-making process

It is well documented that the decision-making process follows a number of stages,
although there has been little consensus on the number of stages an individual goes
through before making a final choice (Lee and Marshall, 1998). Studies using self-
reports have included three stages (Davis and Rigaux, 1974), four stages (Moschis
and Mitchell, 1986) and nine stages (Woodside and Motes, 1979).
For the purpose of this study a four-stage approach was used as a guide when
conducting interviews, four stages were considered appropriate as these cover all the
important decision-making stages. Using too many stages would be cumbersome and
structured and may stifle the interview. It is also used by most consumer behaviourists
in explaining consumer decision making (e.g. Solomon, 1999). As the interview
structure was relatively open, opportunity was provided for respondents to include
other stages if they occurred. The four stages are problem recognition, search,
evaluation of alternatives and final choice. The problem recognition stage is when a
member or members of a family recognises that there is a problem that needs to be
solved. For example, in the context of a house purchase a couple expecting their third
child may realise that they need more space since their current home has only three
bedrooms and no family room. It could be the wife who highlights the problem, as she
could be the person who is always looking for space to store the children’s toys.
Then comes the stage where the couple starts searching for a house. In this case,
one member of the household may be more involved than another in the search for
JPIF information. There could be several reasons for this. For example, that family member
22,4 may have more time to look at different open homes, or may have generally more
interest in real estate.
The third stage, alternative evaluation, is where interested members of the family
evaluate their different options in order to make a final decision. For example, a couple
may jointly evaluate the different properties they have inspected. Both husband and
324 wife will have their own views and preferences and it is at this stage that some form of
conflict could arise which may require the need for conflict resolution. The last stage of
the decision making process is when the family makes the final choice, that is, the
couple makes an offer to purchase the house they have both agreed on. Again either
husband or wife could be a major influence at this stage.
Although previous research assumes that the decision-making process occurs in a
linear, step-by-step process, others (e.g. Fisher, 1970; Gersick, 1988; Lee and Marshall,
1998) have suggested the process to be non-linear, proceeding in iterative cycles.
2.3. Decision-making roles

The stages in the decision-making process are usually linked to the decision-making
roles (Assael, 1987). These roles include:
. The “initiator” who recognises the problem or need for an item.
. The “influencer” who exerts personal influence on other family members with
regard to a particular purchase situation.
. The “information gatherer”. The individual or individuals who assemble/s the
information related to a possible purchase.
. The “gatekeeper” who controls the flow of information to other family members.
. The “decision-maker” who has the authority to make the buying decision.
. The “purchaser” who acts physically to complete the purchase process.
Past studies (e.g. Davis, 1971; Davis and Rigaux, 1974; Woodside and Motes, 1979;
Assael, 1987) have noted that role specialisation occurs in many family purchase
decisions. Husbands tend to specialise in instrumental roles, which means that he has
most influence in decisions which are related to the functional [1] or economic
aspects of the decision, e.g. maintenance, finance, location, structure. Wives, on the
other hand, tend to take on expressive roles, which relate to the aesthetic and
emotional needs of the family. Thus wives would have most influence over decisions
relating to colour and design, or flow of the house, or the needs of the children.
Engel et al. (1986) suggest that there is a blurring of roles played by husbands and
wives because of the changes in the roles and occupations of men and women in
society.
2.4. Influence strategies

Family conflict in most group decisions is highly probable, as a joint decision
involves a combination of individual preferences of multiple family members (Sheth,
1974). Researchers have used different terminology to classify the different types of
decision strategies used to influence the decision-making process (e.g. Davis, 1976;
Sheth, 1974; Spiro, 1983; Qualls and Jaffe, 1992). The following sets out the different
strategies used to influence a family decision (Lee and Collins, 2000):
. Experience. Using experience and knowledge as a source of information that Housing
will influence the outcome of the decision. purchase
. Legitimate. Emphasising a role stereotype in order to obtain influence. For decisions
example, a mother may assume or point out that she is the one who deals with
the provision of food and therefore should dominate this decision.
. Coalition. Two or more members of the family decision-making unit collude in
order to obtain a particular outcome. 325
. Emotion. A member of the decision-making unit tries to persuade or dominate
others by using emotive appeals, crying, pouting and other non-verbal
techniques in order to achieve influence.
. Bargaining. Giving in on this occasion in return for getting their way on some
other occasion.
2.5. Influence of children in the family decision-making process

A number of research findings indicate that children have a significant influence in
the purchase of products for which they are the primary consumers, such as food,
toys, children’s clothes and school supplies (Atkin, 1978; Foxman and Tansuhaj,
1988, Foxman et al., 1989; Jenkins, 1979; Lee and Beatty, 2002). They also have a
significant influence on the purchase of leisure activities or where the purchase
decision has a personal relevance to the child (Filiatrault and Ritchie, 1980; Szybillo
and Sosanie, 1977). In contrast, children have less influence on decision making for
products that are used by the entire family, especially for high cost products, such as
cars, furniture and life assurance (Foxman and Tansuhaj, 1988). This may be
explained by the fact that parents are likely to restrict children’s involvement and also
that the children may be less motivated to participate in the decision making process
as the product is not personally relevant to them (Mangleburg, 1990). This may imply
that children might not have a very strong direct influence in the purchase of a family
home, as it is a high cost product to be used by the whole family. Part of the objective
of this research is to determine if this is reflected in the purchase of a family home.
The model described in Figure 1 suggests that family, individual and situational
characteristics work together to help determine which members will exert a direct and
indirect influence on the group decision-making process. The model also
acknowledges that influence (both direct and indirect) of each member will relate to
different roles and thus stages in the decision-making process. The findings, however,
are limited to a small range of products which may not parallel the decision-making
process for residential real estate. The focus of this study is to determine whether the
extant literature relating to family decision making and family member influence
mirror the decision-making process in the purchase of a family home.
3. Research approach
In order to reflect the family decision-making process accurately and to identify factors
from the literature that may be applicable to the real estate environment in-depth
interviews were carried out. The use of in-depth interviews encourages interviewees to
speak openly and frankly and also allows the interviewer to explore different areas with a
large degree of freedom. This approach concurs with the recommendations of Anastas
(1988) who suggests that in-depth interviews should be utilised in situations
JPIF of sensitive subject matter and complex decision-making processes. Several other
22,4 advantages of this type of interview include the encouragement of personal thought,
maintenance and attentiveness of respondents to questions and the interviewer’s
consequent ability to sense non-verbal feedback (Sokolow, 1985).
The interviews were carried out by one of the authors and once completed were
transcribed and independently examined and audited by both authors. This audit
326 included an examination of the transcripts to identify the main issues highlighted by
the interviewees in order to assist in a deeper understanding of the family decision
making process and how it may work in the light of the purchase of a family home.
3.1. Research design

On completion of the literature review and the formulation of a conceptual framework
of family decision making the current study was embarked on. The research design
took the following steps:
. In-depth interviews were conducted to identify how real estate agents perceive
the decision making process for the family home and in particular the influence
of individual family members.
. The development of a revised framework for family decision making in the
purchase of a family home incorporating interview results.
3.2. Data collection

Nine real estate agents participated in this study, four of the respondents were male
and five were female. Each real estate agent had in excess of two years’ experience in
the selling of residential real estate in the Auckland area. Real estate agents were
chosen for this study as they provide an objective, expert opinion based on
observation and experience thus distilling information relating to the decision-making
process of many families. The idea of using expert opinion has been expounded as a
valid and useful approach in gaining valuable information on a particular subject or a
particular group of people. This is because experts know their subjects in-depth and
their evaluative minds generally mean they may even know more about their subjects’
motivation and behaviour than the subjects themselves.
An attempt was made to include real estate agents who worked in different socio-
economic and ethnic groups to capture information representative of the market. Six
of the respondents worked in the upper to middle socio-economic areas, three
represented the lower socio-economic areas. In terms of ethnicity, five were
Caucasian, three were Asian, and one was a Maori/Polynesian. Although only nine
experts representing different socio-economic and ethnic groups were used in this
research, the wealth of information, and the recurrent nature of the information
provided by these experts suggest that these informants were reliable. Miles and
Huberman (1994), Eisenhardt (1989) and Morse (1994) argue that it is not the number
of subjects interviewed that is important but the quality of the interviews, and that if
recurrent information is provided, then one has sampled exhaustion. As the purpose of
this research is to develop a conceptual framework to guide future research, gaining
an overall view of family decision making for the purchase of real estate through the
literature and through the eyes of a few experts, is the key issue.
4. Summary of findings Housing
The main issues affecting the decision-making process of each of the family members purchase
as perceived by the real estate agents interviewed may be categorised as follows:
. roles and stages in the decision-making process;
decisions
. class differences;
. cultural differences; and 327
. children’s influence.
A discussion of each of these categories is set out below.
4.1. Roles and stages in the decision making process

The interviewees suggested that the roles played by each of the family members can
be related to the stages in the group decision-making process. It was also evident from
the study that the different stages in the process were associated with different aspects
of the real estate decision. (Details of the results are contained in Table I.)
4.2. Stages in the decision-making process

The initial model illustrated in Figure 1 contained four main stages in the decision-
making process. The results of the interviews reflected the complex nature of the
family decision-making process in relation to the purchase of the family home and an
in-depth analysis of the interview transcripts suggested the introduction of an
additional stage to the typical family decision-making literature. This additional stage
has been identified as the product specification stage. Thus the five stages identified
by the real estate agents were as follows:
(1) problem recognition;
(2) product specification;
(3) information search;
(4) alternative evaluation; and
(5) final choice.
The study identified the problem recognition stage as being the first stage in the process of
purchasing of a family home, this mirrors the outcome of the consumer behaviour
literature. Problem recognition within the family home context is when changes in family
circumstances require the family to seek alternative accommodation.
The product specification stage follows on from problem recognition and can be
likened to that identified in the industrial buying decision literature. This stage can be
described as “determination of product characteristics” and “description of product
characteristics” (Robinson et al., 1967), or the “formation of decision participants
preferences” or “choice criteria” (Sheth, 1973; Webster and Wind, 1972). At this
stage, the family members specify the attributes of their new home, the price range
they are prepared to pay and the general location of the property.
Once the family has identified the main criteria of their search, information is
sought in order to locate possible alternatives. The study identified a number of
actions undertaken by members of the family. These include an initial inquiry to a real
estate agent, keeping in contact with that agent and/or a number of agents, inspecting
properties and gathering information from a variety of other available sources.
8
2
3
TableI.
F
I
P
J
4
,
2
2
Summary of interviews
General model
Roles and Real Estate
Group decision influence Decision Family member’s Factors affecting
process structure Process Group decision member’s role and direct influence structure indirect influence influence
Problem , Initiator Whether to Woman more predominant especially with young family Children, taking into Family characteristics
recognition purchase a Affected more by the way the house fulfils the emotional and account the changing Stage of life cycle
family home functional needs of the family needs of the children Experience
Man more predominant in older couples considers more the Sex role orientation
practical aspects of the home i.e. too much maintenance
Both more predominant when no children and in particular
in the purchase of the first home
Product , User/ General location Bank/Financial consultant may be required to assess price Woman for more Individual
specification stakeholder Price range range and suitability of properties. Seems to be more Children’s specific characteristics
Main attributes prevalent in families of lower socio-economic status needs, e.g. number of Gender (women more
Man seems to have more influence in determining the bedrooms, play area expressive roles, men
general area of the property, associated with prestige and etc. (indirect influence) more instrumental
resale value roles)
When main income earner Family characteristics
Both when parents see closeness to school is a priority Sex role orientation
Woman more concerned about issues relating to how the including resource
family will live in the house, whereas man more concerned contribution
with practical aspects such as structure materials
maintenance, resale value etc.
Children will voice their requirements, e.g. younger children
will want a tree in the garden to climb, older children will
want their own space and be close to their friends (direct
influence)
Information , Information Information gathering Woman when not working, especially in higher Children will again Family characteristics
search gatherer and about properties on socio-economic families have indirect influence Socio-economic status
gatekeeper the market Either (tending towards the woman) in lower socio-economic in parents anticipating Sex role orientation
Point of contact with families depends on the time available to the individual their requirements
real estate agent partners. Male participation on the increase
First inspection Open homes have encouraged more joint inspections
(Continued)
General model
Roles and Real Estate
Group decision influence Decision Family member’s Factors affecting
process structure Process Group decision member’s role and direct influence structure indirect influence influence
Alternative , Influencer Subsequent Both partners will inspect the property at this time Children’s needs taken Family characteristics
evaluation inspections of the Children may then be introduced to the property at this stage into account Socio-economic status
property Over 15 year olds may not find the time to come as they have Family life cycle (age
a hectic social life and see the family home as short-term of children)
accommodation
Children more influence in higher price range
Children more influential in Asian families
Family and friends may also be introduced at this stage
Family and relatives more influential in Pacific Island and
Asian families, Caucasian families more independent
Family more influence in first home purchase
Final choice , Decision Negotiation of price Financier will need to approve the deal and thus influence Individual
maker and purchase of the price and suitability of property characteristics
property Both partners must agree to buy Personality
Either or Both Information
The spouse liking the home more will be pushing more for Involvement
the purchase (emotional
Either, the personality of the partner will determine who attachment)
pushes the deal through more Sex role orientation
Either – the main income earner or the one who has the most
information about the market
Table I.
329
H
si
is
g
n
u
o
u
p
n
o
e
c
s
s
r
i
JPIF This information-gathering stage is then followed by the evaluation of alternatives.
22,4 From the study, the main action taken by the family at this stage is the inspection of
alternative properties until a suitable home is found. This stage is followed by final
choice, which includes the negotiation of the price and contract and the purchase of
the property. Figure 2 sets out this process in more detail and includes the concept of
favourable and unfavourable outcomes to the different stages of the process.
330
4.3. Decision-making roles
The roles of the individuals in the decision-making group can best be understood
when related to the decision-making process. As the decision-making process
progresses different roles are played out by different members of the family. In the
problem recognition stage an initiator will become apparent.
Figure 2.
Role players and the
family decision process
when purchasing a family
home
The interviews suggested that the woman tends to be more dominant as the initiator, Housing
especially in the case of a family with young children, where the mother recognises purchase
the changing needs of the family. The influence exerted by the man may prevail in
cases where he feels the home is too big or requires too much maintenance. In the decisions
case of couples with no children, and in particular when embarking on the purchase of
a first home, there may be equal influence from both parties. The reason for this may
be because the couple has not yet taken up individual roles (Filiatrault and Ritchie, 331
1980), but also may reflect the high perceived risk of purchasing a first home,
especially when neither partner has had experience in such a purchase previously.
These results indicate that the family life cycle is an important factor in determining
who influences and how they influence the decision at this stage.
The interviews also suggest that even in this early part of the decision-making
process the wife plays a more expressive role when determining the requirements of a
home, she is taking into account the emotional needs of the family. The husband,
however, tends to take a more instrumental role. These differences are demonstrated
further in the next phases of the decision-making process.
In the product specification stage, the man, woman, children and stakeholder will
be involved in determining the main requirements of the house, general location and
price range. At this phase evidence seems to suggest that the man has more influence
in determining the general location of the property, issues that seem to be important to
him at this stage are the prestige to be gained by the property and the resale value.
Both parents will be equally as influential in the location decision when closeness to a
certain school is their priority.
When determining the main physical requirements of the house, men and women tend
to take on different roles. Women will be more concerned with issues relating to how the
family will function in the home, for example women with young families tend to be more
concerned with the functional aspects of the kitchen, including appropriate size and site
lines to the play area. However if the man is the main cook (especially evident in higher
socio-economic families where both partners work) he may also be interested in the
kitchen from a functional aspect of cooking. Men in general are more concerned with
attributes such as a double garage and workshop. Children, at this stage, may also have a
direct influence, requesting space of their own or a location near to their friends. They may
also hold a substantial amount of indirect influence as parents will be anticipating their
needs thus reflecting such attributes as the number of bedrooms they require, the closeness
to schools and a safe and secure play area.
The bank or financier may be the person who will determine how much a family
will be able to pay for a property. This is especially prevalent for families of lower
socio-economic status. There is evidence to show that the main income earner
(usually the man) will be more dominant in determining how much the family will put
aside for the purchase of the home. The concept of the main income earner
determining the amount to be spent endorses the concept of the resource contribution
theory (Blood and Wolfe, 1960). This theory proposes that the influence over
decisions comes from the resources the individual can provide to meet the need of the
other partner. Other more recent research also endorses this concept (e.g. Lee and
Beatty, 2002; Strober and Weinberg, 1977; Weinberg and Winer, 1983). The current
study also suggests a more democratic process in circumstances where the wife is the
person keeping track of the family’s finances.
JPIF The information search phase as perceived by the real estate agents in the current
22,4 study reflect families’ socio-economic status and sex role orientation. The interviews
suggest that in families of higher socio-economic status, where the woman is not
working that she will take on the role of information gatherer and gatekeeper. She will
make the initial inquiry to the real estate agent and become the main point of contact;
she will also make an initial inspection of the property. In lower socio-economic
332 families the choice of partner undertaking this role will depend on the time available
to each partner. There appears to be an overall trend of increased male participation in
this role, which has been encouraged by the growing number and scheduling of “open
homes” making inspections more accessible to both partners.
The alternative evaluation stage includes subsequent inspections of the property.
Here there is the opportunity for other family group members to influence the final
decision. At this stage both partners will inspect the property. Children may also play
a direct role. Their ability to influence decisions seems to depend on the family’s
socio-economic status, cultural background and age of children, with children from
families purchasing more expensive homes having more say in the purchase of the
home. Children from Asian families tend to be more influential in the decision than
families from a Caucasian background. Children over 15 years may not find time to
inspect the property due to “a hectic social life” and the fact that they consider the
family home as only short term accommodation before they move to their own
residence. Children from approximately nine to 15 years will have the greatest impact,
although they will most likely be overruled if the parents are keen on buying a
property. However, parents may be prepared to enter into a bargaining situation with
them to keep them happy. For example: “once we have bought the property we will
see about putting in a swimming pool”.
The alternative evaluation stage in many cases introduces family and friends into
the process. These players are more influential in Pacific Island and Asian families,
with Caucasian families being more independent in their decision making. The study
also indicated that parents of couples purchasing their first home are influential at this
stage of the process.
The final stage of the process includes the negotiation of the price, the terms and
the purchase of the property. The players influencing this stage of the process will
include both partners. Overall the final choice will be a joint decision and in most
cases both partners will have to sign the sale and purchase agreement. There may be
situations where one spouse may push for the completion of the purchase more than
the other partner, this will tend to be the one liking the home more or with the
personality to push the purchase through. There is evidence to suggest that in some
families the partner with the most influence at this stage will be the one who is the
main income earner or the one who has collected and assimilated the most
information about the market and comparable properties. Another influential player at
this stage will be the person financing the purchase, as they will need to approve the
loan required to complete the deal.
Overall, however, the study suggests that either husband or wife may be dominant
depending on a number of family, individual and situational characteristics as set out
in Figure 3. This tends to support Engel et al.’s (1986) contention that there is a
blurring of role specialisations between males and females.
Housing
purchase
decisions
333
Figure 3.
Revised framework of
family decision making in
the purchase of a family
home
4.4. Class differences

The interviews suggest that there are a number of class differences that affect which
partner may be more dominant in the decision-making process. In the case of the
upper/upper middle class, wives do not work and thus have more time. They therefore
tend to take up the role of information gatherer and gatekeeper. In these families,
however, the husband has a strong final say. In these families it was also evident that
the more the family are to the upper end of the social class the less likely it was for
the children to be involved in the decision-making process.
These findings were very similar for the lower/lower middle class scenario with
the wife being the information gatherer and gatekeeper and the husband making the
final decision. In the middle class category however the decisions tended to be made
jointly with the children more strongly involved in the whole process. An interesting
finding here was the strong influence of the extended family, especially in Poynesian
and Maori communities.
4.5. Cultural differences

Cultural differences were also reflected in the interview transcripts. In the case of Asian
families the woman was very much a powerful “behind the scenes” influence, whereas the
husband acted more as the “front man” dealing with all of the negotiations.
JPIF Another aspect of these families was the importance of the views and opinions of
22,4 family and friends. Children also had a strong influence in these families.
4.6. Children’s influence

The influence of children in the family house purchase is of great importance both
from a direct and an indirect viewpoint. From an indirect viewpoint, their needs as
334 perceived by their parents form important criteria for the choice of a house; for
example, how many bedrooms, location close to a school, safe environment, near to a
bus stop and size of the yard. Their direct influence varies with age. Interviewees
suggested that children from about the age of eight or nine to about 15 have the most
influence. They will be looking for a bedroom of a decent size and being close to their
friends. Children below this age will normally love to move to a new house and in
most cases tend to endorse their parent’s decision. Older children, in many cases are
beginning to distance themselves from the family and are less interested in the home
and may not influence the decision. An interesting observation from one real estate
agent was the influence that a very young child can have in the Chinese family:
[. . .] they like to bring a small child under 5, they say that if the child going into the house is
always crying they will give it up . . .
5. Development of revised model

This study has provided an insight into the family decision making process relating to
the purchase of a family home. By analysing the extant consumer behaviour literature
and the input of a number of in-depth interviews a conceptual model reflecting the
purchase of a family home has been constructed. Figure 3 illustrates this framework
and highlights the inclusion of the product specification stage not usually included in
consumer decision-making models. The inclusion of the product specification stage
reflects the complex nature of the house purchase decision. This complexity
encourages the family to specify the choice criteria for their search, which reflects
more of the process within organisations when making business decisions.
As with other family decision-making situations, situational characteristics,
individual characteristics and family characteristics were seen as instrumental in
determining the role and influence of each family member. This study highlights the
importance of sex role orientation, family life cycle, culture, socio-economic status,
personality and involvement. The study also indicates that, with current societal
changes, family roles may be in a stage of transition and roles that have been
predominantly the domain of the man or woman of the household may be blurring.
6. Implications and conclusions

The results of this study identify the complex decision-making process relating to the
purchase of residential real estate that may not always reflect a rational process with
the sole purpose of maximising utility.
There are a number of implications from this study for both practitioners and
academics. It is advantageous for real estate agents to be aware of the dynamics of the
decision-making process of the house purchase decision. By understanding the role and
influence of different family members real estate agents are able to provide the most
effective advice and information at the different stages of the decision making process.
An awareness of the individual preferences of the decision makers and the difference Housing
between the expressive and instrumental roles will also assist in a real estate agents purchase
marketing and communication strategy to ensure that the right message is going out to
the right people. It is also important to understand the changing societal makeup. decisions
Agents must not make assumptions about the role of each of the members.
Valuers should also be aware of the roles, preferences and influence of each family
member and how families make decisions. In particular they need to know what 335
attributes of a building are important to the family and why. Gaining a deeper
understanding of family purchasing behaviour will enable them to more fully
understand the value of different family homes to different cultures and different
socio-economic groupings.
This study assists property academics in understanding the behaviour of the
purchasers of family homes within the residential real estate market and how this
behaviour differs from the traditional family decision making model. There are a
number of limitations to the study, the main one being the interviewing of real estate
agents only. To gain a deeper and more accurate framework academics should now
collect data from families involved in the decision-making process. As this study
observes, however, both male and female partners in the decision-making process
may have different priorities and perceptions of the process; any further research,
therefore, should ensure that each family member is interviewed individually in order
to gain a full picture of the decision-making process.
Note
1. As it relates to physical aspects rather than the how it works for the family living together.
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1293-302.
Valuation
Multicultural examination of behaviour
valuation behaviour
Julian Diaz III
Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 339
Paul Gallimore
The Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK Received January 2002
Deborah Levy
The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords Value analysis, Individual behaviour, United Kingdom, United States of
America, New Zealand
Abstract A series of experiments were conducted to examine valuation behaviour in the UK, the
USA, and New Zealand (NZ). Professional valuers from all three countries participated in the
study whose findings support the notion that the US normative model is cognitively demanding
and that greater departures from it result in reduced cognitive effort. The study also concluded
that subjects from cultures requiring disclosure (USA and NZ) examined a significantly greater
number of sales than did subjects from the UK where disclosure is uncommon. Finally, while
valuers perhaps ought to increase sales search in unfamiliar markets, this research revealed no
evidence that they do so. These findings are consistent with the need to seek cognitive efficiency
and reduce cognitive effort even at the expense of performance quality.
Introduction
Valuation behaviour has been the focus of an expanding literature recently reviewed
in Diaz (1999) and Hardin (1999). For example the processes actually followed by
valuers, as contrasted with those prescribed to them, have been investigated in Diaz
(1990a). Here evidence was developed that residential appraisers from the USA do
not follow prescribed (normative) processes. This finding was expanded in Diaz et al.
(2000), who concluded that the actual valuation processes of New Zealand (NZ), US
and UK valuers deviated from processes prescribed in the USA, but that NZ valuer
processes were more normative than US valuer processes, which were in turn more
normative than those of UK valuers. Further, the actual processes of NZ valuers did
not vary significantly from US valuer processes, but both varied significantly from the
processes actually employed by UK valuers.
Diaz (1990a) argued that normative processes are cognitively demanding and that
valuers depart from them in a subconscious search for efficiency. Compelled by
cognitive limitations characterising all humans, this search for efficiency is ubiquitous
in all human problem solving. Because increasing cognitive efficiency is associated
with decreasing time on task, an expectation is that the more normative (cognitively
demanding) a valuation process is, the greater the time on task. Finding evidence
supporting this expectation is one goal of this research. Journal of Property Investment &
The process of selecting comparable sales has been studied in Diaz (1990b), Finance
Vol. 22 No. 4, 2004
Wolverton (1996), and Gallimore and Wolverton (1997). Diaz modelled the sales pp. 339-346
selection processes of expert US residential appraisers and contrasted these processes q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1463-578X
with those of novices. Wolverton discovered that knowledge of subject transaction DOI 10.1108/14635780410550894
JPIF price could bias the comparable sales selected by US residential appraisers. Gallimore
22,4 and Wolverton extended this study to the UK and concluded that UK valuers were
less susceptible to price knowledge biases during sales selection than were their US
counterparts probably because of cultural differences in the transparency of
comparable sale selection. In the USA, comparable sales used to form a value opinion
must be disclosed. Such disclosure or transparency is not common in the UK.
340 Gallimore and Wolverton also discovered that in their experiments, UK valuers
engaged in significantly less sales search effort than did US subjects. Once again this
was attributed to transparency (disclosure). Disclosure requirements of NZ valuers are
similar to those of US appraisers. This suggests that sales search effort expended,
measured by number of sales examined, by NZ valuers should be similar to US
appraisers but significantly different than that of UK valuers. Examining this
expectation is the second goal of this investigation.
Some research has indicated that valuer behaviour may change when property
settings change from familiar geographic settings to unfamiliar ones. For example
Diaz (1997) discovered that US appraisers valuing properties in areas familiar to them
were not susceptible to the value opinions of other anonymous experts, but Diaz and
Hansz (1997) reported that US appraisers valuing property in unfamiliar areas were
susceptible to such influences. Diaz et al. (2000) rejected the hypothesis that valuer
processes would be driven toward normative models when valuers value property in
areas unfamiliar to them. Nevertheless a compelling prescription for optimal valuation
performance suggests that valuers unfamiliar with the geographic area of the subject
being appraised need to expend more effort to become knowledgeable about an
unknown market, that is, prescriptively they should examine more sales to value
property in unfamiliar markets than in familiar markets. Arguing against this
expectation is the need for cognitive efficiency and the associated reduced time on
task as well as the routinisation of production rules such as “to value property you
need about three sales.” Providing evidence of sales search effort in familiar versus
unfamiliar markets is the third goal of this research.
Research hypotheses
The goals of this investigation suggest three research hypotheses. The first derives
from the expectation that the more normative a valuation process is, the more
cognitively demanding it is and therefore the more time on task it will require. From
Diaz et al. (2000) comes the finding that while NZ, US, and UK valuation processes
are not US normative, NZ processes are slightly more normative than US processes
which are significantly more normative than UK processes. Research hypothesis 1
(H1) is therefore that NZ valuers will spend more time on valuation tasks than will
US valuers (although perhaps not significantly more) who will spend more time on
valuation tasks than will UK valuers:
TNZ . TUS . TUK ð1Þ
where
T ¼ time on task;
NZ ¼ New Zealand valuers;
US ¼ US valuers; and Valuation
UK ¼ UK valuers. behaviour
The second goal of this research is to examine the expectation that comparable sales
disclosure, labelled transparency by Gallimore and Wolverton, is associated with
sales search, that the number of sales examined is smaller for valuation tasks in
cultures not requiring disclosure. Since New Zealand and the USA require similar 341
levels of disclosure which are uncommon in the UK, research hypothesis 2 (H2) is
that the number of sales examined by NZ and US valuers will be similar to each other
and greater than the number examined by UK valuers:
SNZ ¼ SUS . SUK ð2Þ
where S ¼ the number of sales examined.

The third study goal is to develop evidence which addresses the issue of sales
search effort in familiar versus unfamiliar markets. The need for cognitive efficiency
is hypothesised to overwhelm the prescription that increased sales search in unknown
markets increases the probability of satisfactory performance. Therefore research
hypothesis 3 (H3), which can be decomposed by culture, is that sales search effort
will not vary when valuers move from properties in familiar markets to those in
unfamiliar ones:
S S
NZf ¼ NZu ð3aÞ
S S
USf ¼ USu ð3bÞ
S S
UKf ¼ UKu ð3cÞ
where:
f ¼ subject properties in familiar markets; and
u ¼ subject properties in unfamiliar markets.
Methods
To examine the three research hypotheses, data were developed from one-factor, repeated
measures experiments modeled after Diaz (1990a). The one-factor, repeated measures
design reduces unwanted variability (“noise”) by focusing on one variable of interest
thereby maximising the probability of finding statistical significance. The factor
examined, geographic familiarity, was fixed at two levels, high positive geographic
familiarity and high negative geographic familiarity. While there is no scale or precise
measure of geographic familiarity, generally valuers will be highly familiar with areas in
which they routinely value property and unfamiliar with areas in which they have never
valued property. Therefore to operationalise the two factor levels, two appraisal cases
were constructed for the UK experiment and two for the NZ experiment. High positive
familiarity was implemented for the UK experiment with a case developed from
Nottingham, UK, the city in which participating UK experimental subjects practice, and
high negative familiarity was implemented with a case set near the city of Atlanta, USA,
an area unfamiliar to these subjects. For the NZ experiment,
JPIF experts were recruited from the city of Auckland and an Auckland property served as
22,4 the high positive familiarity case with the Atlanta property used as the high negative
familiarity case. Slight differences in the Atlanta case used in the UK experiment
versus the Atlanta case used in the NZ experiment were due to differences in the
respective vernacular.
The experimental cases were constructed to be representative of real world
342 residential appraisal assignments and were developed from actual appraisal
assignments and their resulting reports. Several expert appraisers were used to
validate the representativeness of the cases. Geographically familiar cases are
representative of the type of assignments encountered in practice by the participating
experts. Geographically unfamiliar cases, while constructed to be representative of
real world assignments, are by design not representative of realistic assignments faced
by participating experts. They are therefore realistic problems, but for the
participating expert, not realistic assignments. The objective of this design is to see if
expert behaviour will vary when experts are taken out of their area of expertise. Will
experts seek and consider more sales data when confronted with realistic valuation
problems in areas unfamiliar (unrealistic) to them compared to realistic valuation
problems in areas familiar (realistic) to them?
A total of 12 expert valuers participated in the UK experiment whereas ten experts
participated in the NZ study. Also 12 experts participated in the original US study
(Diaz, 1990a). Experts were defined as practising appraisers of no less than five years
valuation experience with appropriate professional credentials. These experts
performed both the familiar and unfamiliar tasks. Each task required the subject to
estimate market value based upon the available information. Sessions were initiated
by presenting the subject with a brief written introduction and request for basic
demographic information. When the demographic information sheet was returned to
the experimenter, the experimenter gave the subject detailed written instructions for
the experiment followed by a worksheet restating briefly the instructions and
providing a list of available data (cues). These alphabetically ordered cue labels
represented the information suggested by the US normative model and therefore
available to the subject during the experiment.
The subject was required to select verbally a desired cue label. The experimenter
then recorded the request, provided the subject with the requested information, and
began to time cue usage. When finished with the information, the subject returned it
to the experimenter and requested the next desired information. The experimenter
refiled the used information, recorded the time of usage, recorded the new request,
provided the newly requested information, and began to time usage of the newly
acquired cue. Among the recordings made by the experimenter was the number of
sales examined. A total of four packets containing three sales each or a total of 12
comparable sales were available for each case. Subjects were free to examine as many
or as few sales packets as they desired. To minimize deviation in the response
variable due to extraneous factors, strict quality control was observed. The same
written instructions were used for all study subjects. All verbal communications
between experimenter and subject were kept to a minimum during experimental
sessions. The first experimental session in Nottingham occurred on July 8, 1999 and
the final one on January 11, 2000. The Auckland sessions began on July 21, 1998 and
ended on July 30, 1998. US data came from the original Diaz (1990a) experiments.
Results Valuation
Data were analysed using the most statistically powerful tests appropriate. Parametric behaviour
tests are generally more powerful than non-parametric analogues, that is, given equal
sample sizes, parametric tests are more likely to detect true significance than similar
non-parametric tests. Parametric tests are not always appropriate however. For
example, parametric tests require continuous data. Discrete data must be analysed
with non-parametric tests. Further, parametric tests have more restrictive 343
assumptions. To ensure that assumptions are generally met, sample sizes of 30 or
more are generally needed to use parametric tests. Databases of fewer than 30
observations may meet parametric assumptions, but they may not. Since the data of
these experiments are in small samples, both powerful parametric tests, whose
assumptions may not be met by the data, and the less powerful non-parametric
analogues whose assumptions are met by the data are employed when appropriate in
the study.
Total time, in seconds, spent on geographically familiar tasks is reported in Table I.
This table records the time taken by each subject to complete the experimental task
including gathering all the desired data and performing whatever analysis the subject
deemed necessary to determine an estimate of value. This variable does not include
time taken to write a report or document or support the value judgement. Once the
valuer determined a value estimate, time measurement ceased. A quick check of
the mean time for task completion across the three cultures reveals results consistent
with H1 (equation (1)). For all NZ subjects when performing valuation tasks in familiar
locations, the mean time to complete is 2534.4 seconds, for US experts 2,091.1 seconds,
and for UK experts 1,846.4 seconds. To determine whether these differences are
significant, a parametric analysis of variance and a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis
test were conducted. P-values for these tests are 0.002 and 0.001 respectively indicating
that there is an overall significant difference in central tendency among these data.
A series of two-sample comparisons were made to clarify where the significant
differences are found. The parametric t-test and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney
test were employed. The difference between total time on task for NZ versus
US subjects, while in the anticipated direction, is not significant ( p-values of 0.186
and 0.385). The difference between US and UK time on task is significant ( p-values
Observation New Zealand USA UK
1 1,529 1,553 1,704

2 1,199 2,903 955
3 5,400 1,888 906
4 3,263 2,494 949
5 1,292 1,717 1,490
6 1,670 2,855 1,050
7 2,225 3,263 1,380
8 1,662 1,365 760
9 2,701 2,306 860
10 4,403 2,940 760
11 913 1,140 Table I.
12 896 385 Time to complete familiar
Mean 2,534.4 2,091.1 1,028.3 task (in seconds)
JPIF of 0.001 and 0.0005). To summarise the findings for RHI, results are in the expected
22,4 directions, but the difference in time to complete task is not significant between NZ
and US valuers whereas for US versus UK valuers the difference is significant. (By
extension the difference between NZ and UK valuers is also significant.)
Data on number of comparable sales examined are reported in Table II. Since these
data are discrete, only non-parametric Mann-Whitney tests were conducted. These
344 tests generally support RHII. A comparison of the number of sales examined by NZ
versus US valuers when performing valuations in familiar locations shows that NZ
valuers generally tended to examine an insignificantly greater number (two-tailed p-
value of 0.177 is reported since there is no a-priori expectation of direction of
difference). In other words, the difference between the number of sales examined was
insignificant for the two cultures with transparency. Combining the NZ and US data
and comparing them to the UK results reveals a significant difference in the expected
direction (one-tailed, p 7 value ¼ 0:0065) between the number of sales examined by
cultures with transparency (NZ and US) compared to without (UK). When the US
data are uncoupled from the NZ data, the results are less convincing. While there is a
highly significant difference between the number of sales examined by NZ valuers
compared to UK valuers (one-tailed p-value of 0.0025), the difference between the
number of sales examined by US valuers versus UK valuers is marginally significant
(one-tailed p-value of 0.0605). While these results do generally support the research
hypothesis that valuers in cultures requiring transparency will examine a greater
number of sales than those who are not, the marginal difference between US and UK
valuers suggests that other factors worthy of investigation may be important as well.
Pitting the prescription that more sales should be examined for valuations in
unknown markets against the theoretical need for cognitive efficiency and reduced
search, H2 posits that familiar and unfamiliar area sales search effort will be similar.
This hypothesis was examined using non-parametric tests applied to the data on
number of comparable sales examined. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used
since the observations were matched pairs, that is each subject produced both a
familiar location observation and an unfamiliar location observation. With paired
observations, comparison can be made at the individual level rather than at the group
New Zealand USA UK

No. Familiar Unfamiliar Familiar Unfamiliar Familiar Unfamiliar
1 12 9 3 3 9 12
2 6 6 9 12 12 12
3 12 12 9 6 3 6
4 12 9 12 12 6 6
5 9 6 12 12 9 12
6 12 12 12 12 6 6
7 6 6 12 9 9 9
8 12 9 6 6 6 3
9 12 6 6 12 3 3
10 12 12 6 6 6 9
Table II. 11 12 12 6 3
Number of sales 12 6 6 6 3
examined Mean 10.5 8.7 8.75 9 6.75 7
level. Tests based on individual level comparisons are more powerful than those based Valuation
on group level comparisons. Test were conducted for the NZ data (familiar versus behaviour
unfamiliar) the US data (familiar versus unfamiliar) and the UK data (familiar versus
unfamiliar). The results of the tests are mixed. None support the prescription of greater
sales search in unfamiliar markets. Two, the US data and the UK data (both with
p-values of 0.705), support the no difference hypothesis. The significant difference in
the NZ data (p 7 value ¼ 0:034) is in the wrong direction to support the suggestion that 345
valuers should engage in greater sales search in unknown markets. New Zealand
valuers participating in the experiment examined significantly fewer sales in the
unfamiliar case.
Conclusions
The amount of time spent on task by valuers from the three cultures represented in this
investigation support the notion that the US normative model is cognitively
demanding and that greater departures from it result in greater reductions in effort.
The processes of NZ valuers which were closest to the US normative model, were
associated with the greatest time on task. The US processes, less normative than the
NZ processes but not significantly so, resulted in less time on task compared to the NZ
valuers but again not significantly so. The UK processes, significantly less normative
than those of US valuers, resulted in significantly less time on task.
Data from this investigation generally are consistent with the idea that disclosure
requirements (transparency) are associated with sales search effort. Subjects from
cultures requiring disclosure, the USA and NZ, tended to examine a greater amount of
sales than did subjects from the UK where disclosure is uncommon. Valuers from the
US and UK did not significantly increase the number of sales examined when moving
from familiar to unfamiliar geographic settings. NZ valuers significantly decreased the
number of sales examined when moving to unfamiliar markets. While valuers perhaps
ought to increase sales search in unfamiliar markets, this research does not find any
evidence that they do. Rather the findings are consistent with the ubiquitous need to
seek cognitive efficiency and reduce cognitive effort even at the expense of
performance quality.
Other factors not specifically addressed in the experiments probably play a role in
the time-on-task and number-of-sales-examined behaviours discovered in this study.
Fee levels may be important. The general perception among experts in all three
cultures is that fee levels for valuation services are low across all property types and
while stable in nominal terms, are eroding in real terms. Information availability,
greater in the USA and NZ than in the UK, likely exacerbates the impact of
transparency and may contribute to cultural differences. The opinion among some
experts is that the UK will move closer to the USA in terms of reporting requirements
although there is no current sign that UK education is anticipating this by more
explicit promotion of formalised approaches to valuation procedures that embody
aspects of the US normative model. Such a move toward greater transparency will
likely be accompanied by increased information availability as comparable sales
information moves into the public domain. These movements may require greater
time-on-task and sales-search from UK experts. The current UK fee structure, already
perceived as low, and the lack of an education response are factors that contravening
factors.
JPIF Why NZ valuers participating in the experiment, unlike those from either the USA
22,4 or the UK, examined significantly fewer sales in the unfamiliar case is a matter for
speculation. There are no normative reasons for this behaviour, but it is consistent with
a strategy to minimise cognitive effort by reducing sales search through early closure
perhaps by anchoring onto comparables encountered at the beginning of the search
process. The finding is clearly worthy of more investigation.
346 This study involved valuation experts valuing single family homes. Further
research is needed to extend these conclusions into commercial settings. Nevertheless
these results add to our growing understanding of actual valuation behaviour and the
role of distinct cultural environments. Of future interest is the quality of performance
among processes of varying cognitive efficiency. In a shrinking world characterised
by a global economy, greater understanding of the differing valuation processes and
their impact on valuation performance is an acute need.
References
Diaz, J. (1990a), “How appraisers do their work: a test of the appraisal process and the
development of a descriptive model”, The Journal of Real Estate Research, Vol. 5
No. 1, pp. 1-15.
Diaz, J. (1990b), “The process of selecting comparable sales”, The Appraisal Journal, Vol. 58
October, pp. 533-40.
Diaz, J. (1997), “An investigation into the impact of previous expert value estimates on
appraisal judgment”, Journal of Real Estate Research, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 57-66.
Diaz, J. (1999), “The first decade of behavioral research in the discipline of property”, Journal
of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 326-32.
Diaz, J. and Hansz, J.A. (1997), “How valuers use the value opinions of others”, Journal of
Property Valuation and Investment, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 256-60.
Diaz, J., Gallimore, P. and Levy, D. (2000), “Residential valuation behaviour in the United
States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand”, paper presented to the RICS Cutting
Edge Property Research Conference, London.
Gallimore, P. and Wolverton, M. (1997), “Price-knowledge-induced bias: a cross-cultural
comparison”, Journal of Property Valuation and Investment, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 261-73.
Hardin, W. (1999), “Behavioral research into heuristics and bias as an academic pursuit:
lessons from other disciplines and implications for real estate”, Journal of Property
Investment & Finance, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 333-52.
Wolverton, M. (1996), “Investigation into price knowledge induced comparable sale selection
bias”, dissertation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.

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What are some of the factors that are perceived to be putting downward pressure on valuation fees across different property types?

What are some of the factors that are perceived to be putting downward pressure on valuation fees across different property types?

What is one finding from the study about how valuers from New Zealand examined sales in an unfamiliar case compared to valuers from the US and UK, and what are some possible explanations for this behavior?

What is one finding from the study about how valuers from New Zealand examined sales in an unfamiliar case compared to valuers from the US and UK, and what are some possible explanations for this behavior?

Volume 22 Numbers 4 2004 ISBN 0-86176-999-6 ISSN 1463-578X

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Access this journal electronically

Journal of Property Investment &

As a research psychologist Zajonc (1980) has demonstrated that rational decision

Results and interpretation

2. Office location decisions: models and behaviour

SUB AGE SIZE

1 6 68.4 6 52.6 7 47.4 4 73.7 5 89.5 2 63.2 19

Variable Variable description Category Description

CT Construction type 4 Traditional construction

PSIZE RENT ATTSCORE1 ATTSCORE2 DIST

1 130 63 121 29 0.95 1.08 1.37 1.34 1,274 1,696

1 200-500m2 of high specification cellular fitted and

Model 22 Log Likelihood Chi-Square Df Sig.

Intercept only 201.610

represent the probability of a change in the dependent categorical variable in response to a

.they have no yellow page entries.

.their main business is in financial services.

.they have two or more Yellow Page entries; and

.they have no Yellow Page entries.

.their main business is in financial services.

2.Family and family decision making

2.1. Family characteristics

2.2. Stages in the decision-making process

2.3. Decision-making roles

2.4. Influence strategies

2.5. Influence of children in the family decision-making process

3.1. Research design

3.2. Data collection

4.1. Roles and stages in the decision making process

4.2. Stages in the decision-making process

4.4. Class differences

4.5. Cultural differences

4.6. Children’s influence

5. Development of revised model

6. Implications and conclusions

TNZ . TUS . TUK ð1Þ

where S ¼ the number of sales examined.

Observation New Zealand USA UK

1 1,529 1,553 1,704

New Zealand USA UK

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