More promotion-focused, more happy? Regulatory focus, post-purchase evaluations and regret in the real estate market

Abstract

This research examines how regulatory focus, in terms of promotion-prevention discrepancy (promotion level minus prevention level), influences homebuyers’ post-purchase evaluations and experiences. Field study data is collected by questionnaire and structural equation modelling (SEM) is used for data analysis. In China’s urban real estate market, when the level of promotion focus exceeds that of prevention focus, homebuyers have better evaluation of their acquisition, less regret and higher satisfaction. Besides product and service attributes, a house’s investment performance and financial burden are important in shaping purchasers’ regret and satisfaction. The findings also show that some individual and purchase traits influence post-purchase evaluations and experiences.