Suppose that there are 1,000 one-bedroom apartments in a small town and that this number is fixed. The table gives the quantity demand in the market for one-bedroom apartments.
Price (Rent per month)
Demand (Apartment units)
$500 1,600
$600 1,400
$700 1,200
$800 1,000
$900 800
$1,000 600
$1,200 400
(a) What is the equilibrium rental for a one-bedroom apartment?
(b) Suppose 200 new one-bedroom apartments are constructed. What happens to the equilibrium rent?
(c) Suppose more people move into the town, increasing the demand for one-bedroom apartments by 200 units at each price. What is the new equilibrium price? (Assume the supply remains fixed at 1,200 units).