On nonparametric estimation of a hedonic price function

Recently, using mixed data on Canadian housing, Parmeter, Henderson, and Kumbhakar (Journal of Applied Econometrics 2007; 22: 695-699) found that a nonparametric approach for estimating a hedonic house price function is superior to formerly suggested parametric and semiparametric specifications. We carefully reanalyze these specifications for this dataset by applying a recent nonparametric specification test and simulation-based prediction comparisons. For the case at issue our results suggest that a previously proposed parametric specification does not have to be rejected and we illustrate how nonparametric methods provide valuable insights during all modeling steps. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.