The Housing Bubble Blog

Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.

The Repetition Of Past Behaviour

Readers suggested a topic on the current markets. "How will the (already started) decline play out this time? Jingle believes in some ungraphable pattern like a parabolic plateau, but things aren’t quite the same as last time. This crash seems more like squeezing out the investors and flippers and...
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History Repeats, First As Tragedy And Then As Farce

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Katrine and Stephen Campbell were up against stiff competition from 10 other bidders for the Reading home they wanted to buy. So, instead of making a specific offer, they promised to top whatever turned out to be the high bid by an additional...
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Elvis Has Left The Building

The Press Enterprise reports from California. "Home sales across Southern California fell to a six-year low as median prices rose to its highest point since 2008, DataQuick said. 'Southland home buying got off to a very slow start this year, with last month’s sales coming in at the second-lowest...
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The End Of Crazy China Real Estate

Xinhua reports on Hong Kong. "The government curbs and the U. S. Fed's tapering have cast a pall on Hong Kong's housing market, dampening demand and dragging transactions to a 23-year low. Amid the waning demand, some developers started offering new flats at 10 to 20 percent below those in the...
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Gambling In A Legal Way

Readers suggested a topic on gambling. "Weekend topic suggestion: Get rich or die tryin’?" A reply, "Do you have any big ideas which you could develop and sell to the masses?" One said, "My idea is for a razor with 6 blades instead of 5. It’s extra better. Also I have an idea for a Kardashian with...
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A Con Only Works When The Mark Is Greedy

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Bidding wars. All-cash deals. Foreign buyers. Manhattan? No, Queens! Jim Pappas, the owner of Jackson Heights-based real estate brokerage Rock Realty, told the Daily News many are from China, but buyers from Greece, Brazil, India, Tibet and Nepal...
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