Susan M Wachter

All Courses

• BEPP2360 - Int'l Housing Comparisns

  This course analyzes housing finance systems and housing market outcomes across the globe. In the US, the course focuses on the development of securitization markets and addresses the current challenges of housing finance reform, including the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Internationally, the course covers issues of access to housing and housing informality in developing countries, financial crises arising out of the housing sector, and market-oriented and public policy solutions. The course features a wide array of speakers in finance, government and academia who contribute their perspectives to pressing issues of mortgage market design. REAL 2360 can be counted toward the Wharton Undergraduate Global Economy, Business, and Society (GEBS) requirement.

• BEPP8360 - Int'l Housing Comparisns

  This course analyzes housing finance systems and housing market outcomes across the globe. In the US, the course focuses on the development of securitization markets and addresses the current challenges of housing finance reform, including the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Internationally, the course covers issues of access to housing and housing informality in developing countries, financial crises arising out of the housing sector, and market-oriented and public policy solutions. The course features a wide array of speakers in finance, government and academia who contribute their perspectives to pressing issues of mortgage market design.

• PPE3999 - Independent Study

  Student arranges with a faculty member to pursue a research project on a suitable topic. For more information about research and setting up independent studies, visit: https://ppe.sas.upenn.edu/study/curriculum/independent-studies

• PPE4998 - Directed Honors Research

  Student arranges with a Penn faculty member to do research and write a thesis on a suitable topic. For more information on honors visit: https://ppe.sas.upenn.edu/study/curriculum/honors-theses

• REAL2150 - Urban Real Estate Econ

  Urban Real Estate Economics uses economic concepts to analyze real estate markets, values, and trends. The course focuses on market dynamics in the U.S. and internationally, with an emphasis on how urban growth and local and federal government policies impact urban development and real estate pricing. A group development project gives hands on experience, and invited guest speakers bring industry knowledge. Besides the group project and presentation, problem sets are required along with a midterm and optional second exam. Lecture with discussion required.

• REAL2360 - Int'l Housing Comparisns

  This course analyzes housing finance systems and housing market outcomes across the globe. In the US, the course focuses on the development of securitization markets and addresses the current challenges of housing finance reform, including the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Internationally, the course covers issues of access to housing and housing informality in developing countries, financial crises arising out of the housing sector, and market-oriented and public policy solutions. The course features a wide array of speakers in finance, government and academia who contribute their perspectives to pressing issues of mortgage market design. REAL 2360 can be counted toward the Wharton Undergraduate Global Economy, Business, and Society (GEBS) requirement.

• REAL3990 - Independent Study

  All independent studies must be arranged and approved by a Real Estate department faculty member.

• REAL7240 - Urban Real Estate Econ

  Urban Real Estate Economics uses economic concepts to analyze real estate markets, values, and trends. The course focuses on market dynamics in the U.S. and internationally, with an emphasis on how urban growth and local and federal government policies impact urban development and real estate pricing. A group development project gives hands on experience, and invited guest speakers bring industry knowledge. Besides the group project and presentation, problem sets are required along with a midterm and optional second exam. Lecture with discussion required.

• REAL8360 - Int'l Housing Comparisns

  This course analyzes housing finance systems and housing market outcomes across the globe. In the US, the course focuses on the development of securitization markets and addresses the current challenges of housing finance reform, including the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Internationally, the course covers issues of access to housing and housing informality in developing countries, financial crises arising out of the housing sector, and market-oriented and public policy solutions. The course features a wide array of speakers in finance, government and academia who contribute their perspectives to pressing issues of mortgage market design.

• REAL8990 - Independent Study

  All independent studies must be arranged and approved by a Real Estate Department faculty member.

• REAL9450 - Urban Real Estate Econ

  Urban Real Estate Economics uses economic concepts to analyze real estate markets, values, and trends. The course focuses on market dynamics in the U.S. and internationally, with an emphasis on how urban growth and local and federal government policies impact urban development and real estate pricing. A group development project gives hands on experience, and invited guest speakers bring industry knowledge. Besides the group project and presentation, problem sets are required along with a midterm and optional second exam. Lecture with discussion required.

• REAL9950 - Dissertation

  Dissertation

• URBS3999 - Independent Study

  Specialized topics in Urban Studies. This course may be taken by permit only, once a faculty advisor has agreed to be the professor of record, and the scope of work has been approved in advance by the department.

• Nationally Notable Woman in Real Estate (Bankrate), 2025
• Austin Jaffe Memorial Lecturer (Pennsylvania State University), 2023
• John M. Quigley Medal for Advancing Real Estate and Urban Economics (American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association), 2022
• American Real Estate and Urban Economics Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005
• Presidential Appointment, Senate Confirmation, Assistant Secretary, HUD, 1998-2001
• Best Published Paper (Real Estate Economics), 1996
• Austin Jaffe Memorial Lecturer (Pennsylvania State University), 1970

• “World’s Biggest Property Binge is Coming to a City Near You”, Bloomberg TV for the show “What’d You Miss?” - 11/22/2016 Description

  Dr. Wachter was interviewed by Bloomberg TV for the show “What’d You Miss?” during which she discussed her article published by Bloomberg News titled “World’s Biggest Property Binge is Coming to a City Near You” on November 22, 2016.

• “In shift, Airbnb agrees to San Francisco regs,”, USA Today - 11/14/2016
• Trenton Can Use This As A Blueprint For Its Future, NJ.com - 10/31/2016
• Zombie Properties Returning to Life, Marketplace - 09/08/2016
• How to Prevent the Next Housing Crisis, The Fiscal Times - 08/24/2016
• Lopsided Housing Rebound Leaves Millions of People Out in the Cold, Wall Street Journal - 08/11/2016
• Why We May See a ‘Generation of Permanent Renters’, The Daily Caller - 08/08/2016
• Super-Fast Mortgage Approval and Zero Down. Say What?, Marketplace - 07/27/2016
• A Roaring Trade: Chinese Tiger Mums Start a College-Town Housing Boom, The Economist - 06/18/2016
• Interview on the Global Rental Housing Market, CCTV - 06/09/2016
• American Housing Prices Going Big Again, NPR - 06/02/2016
• By One Measure, that Million-Dollar Home in San Francisco Isn’t as Expensive as it Seems, Marketplace - 05/30/2016
• Homeownership Rates Are Falling, and It’s Not Just a Millennial Problem, Forbes - 05/06/2016
• Tiny Is the New Big: The Next Wave of Space-Defying, Affordable Homes, Realtor.com - 04/14/2016
• Why Aren’t New Homes Going Up That Millennials Can Afford?, Realtor.com - 04/06/2016
• Are Bespoke Tranche Opportunities Dangerous? They Pose A Risk – Just Not Right Away., Bustle - 04/05/2016
• 2016’s Property Taxes By State, WalletHub - 03/09/2016
• Which Region Is Poised to See the Most Home Sales?, Realtor.com - 02/29/2016
• Budget Stalemate Puts Damper on Developers’ Plans for Philadelphia., Philadelphia Inquirer - 02/24/2016
• Is ‘The Big Short’ Right About Bespoke Tranche Opportunities? Experts Weigh in On the Film’s Alarming Ending, Bustle - 02/09/2016
• Is the Shady Stuff From “The Big Short” Era Still Going On?, Time - 12/24/2015
• The Vast Inequality of rental inflation, Marketplace - 11/06/2015
• Outlook on the U.S. Housing Market, Bloomberg Television - 10/19/2015
• Shopping for a House? Check Out the Garden., Marketplace - 10/15/2015
• Renting Vs. Buying, CNBC - 09/22/2015
• Is Housing the Engine Driving U.S. Economic Growth?, Bloomberg Television - 08/25/2015
• How Cities Are Starting to Turn Back Decades of Creeping Urban Blight, The Washington Post - 05/20/2015
• Spring Housing Outlook: For Some, a Window of Opportunity, MainStreet.com - 03/23/2015
• The Housing Market is Still Struggling, Marketplace - 02/24/2015
• Moonlighting No Help to Americans Seeking to Buy a Home, Bloomberg - 11/25/2014
• Why Homeownership Isn’t Catching Up with The Rest of the Economy, NPR - 10/30/2014
• More Money Down Adds to U.S. First-Time Buyer Blues, Bloomberg - 08/14/2014
• Housing’s Bad Month, Via the Letter ‘L’, Marketplace - 04/01/2014
• Real-Estate Tech Takes NYC, Wall Street Journal - 01/05/2014
• Your Money: Aftermath of a U.S. government default, Philadelphia Inquirer - 10/17/2013
• Re/Max Gains After $220 Million IPO Priced Above Target, Bloomberg - 10/02/2013
• Why the Commercial Real Estate Crash Never Came, Fortune - 09/23/2013
• Housing Boom or Bubble?, CNBC - 09/11/2013
• American Realtor’s Worries Amid Home Buying Spree, Xinhua - 08/25/2013
• Banks Sue a California City Trying to Take Over Underwater Mortgages, American Public Media's Marketplace - 08/08/2013
• The Real Estate Ripple Effect, BBC News/Online - 07/31/2013
• Stable, Affordable Federal Financing for Homes, New York Times - 06/20/2013
• Detroit Survival Depends on Speed of Destruction, Bloomberg - 05/30/2013
• Wall Street Revives Foreclosed Homes as Rentals, American Public Media's Marketplace - 05/03/2013
• Housing Rebound is Facing Obstacle: Too Few Homes, Associated Press - 05/01/2013
• What’s Hot in Housing Trends These Days?, American Public Media's Marketplace - 04/16/2013
• Street Signs: Is Housing Market Back?, CNBC - 02/26/2013
• Home Prices Start to Climb Again, American Public Media's Marketplace - 02/01/2013
• New Mortgage Rules Would Limit Risky Lending, NPR - 01/10/2013
• Wachter: Bank Lending Key to Housing Recovery, Fox Business Network - 01/07/2013
• Homeownership Sparks Economy in Many Ways, American Public Media's Marketplace - 12/26/2012
• Experts Discuss Health of the Federal Housing Authority, C-Span - 11/30/2012
• Shelter Crisis After the Storm, Reuters Television - 11/05/2012
• The Housing Disconnect, CNBC - 10/24/2012
• Obama’s Plan To Target Foreclosed Properties Depends On A Broader Recovery, Huffington Post - 09/10/2011
• U.S. Housing Market, Outlook, Bloomberg Television - 08/17/2011
• Street Signs, CNBC - 07/26/2011
• Street Signs, CNBC - 06/21/2011
• Comments on U.S. Housing Prices and Home Ownership Rates., NBC Nightly News - 05/31/2011
• Nightly Business Report, PBS - 10/18/2010
• Foreclosure Errors May Cloud Ownership of U.S. Homes, BusinessWeek.com - 10/01/2010
• How the 30-year mortgage came to be, Marketplace Public Radio - 09/15/2010
• Banks’ Plans for Foreclosed Homes Will Drive Market, Wall Street Journal - 09/13/2010
• Crisis of Confidence, CNBC, "Street Signs" - 08/25/2010
• Dismal Home Sales Report Renews Economic Recovery Concerns, PBS, "News Hour" - 08/24/2010
• Saving Fannie & Freddie, CNBC, “Squawk Box" - 08/17/2010

Knowledge at Wharton

• How COVID-19 Changed the World, Knowledge at Wharton - 3/11/2025
• The Real Estate Market Survived Until 2025. What’s Next?, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/7/2025
• What’s Ahead for Real Estate in 2025?, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/7/2025
• Is the American Dream of Homeownership Still Within Reach?, Knowledge at Wharton - 12/17/2024
• Inflation and the Housing Market | Susan Wachter, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/28/2024
• Will Gen Z Be Able to Afford Houses?, Knowledge at Wharton - 2/27/2024
• Real Estate in 2024: Relief Is in Sight, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/2/2024
• What’s Ahead for U.S. Real Estate? A Midyear Update, Knowledge at Wharton - 7/14/2023
• Fallout from the Banking Crisis: What’s Ahead?, Knowledge at Wharton - 4/4/2023
• How the Banking Crisis Could Hurt Real Estate Lending, Knowledge at Wharton - 3/21/2023

Wharton Stories

• How the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research Helped This Undergrad Discover Passion for Real Estate Finance, Wharton Stories - 07/20/2017