The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the San Francisco Chronicle in California. "Unless you're a millionaire, it's difficult to fathom San Francisco's insanely high home prices. The median sale price of a single-family home in the city soared to $1.6 million in the first quarter, nearly a 24 percent jump from a year ago,...

A report from North Shore News in Canada. "For anyone hoping a quick home sale on the North Shore will still result in lottery windfall, the real estate market has news – the party’s over, at least for now. Two years ago, gold rush fever gripped the real estate market, particularly at the high end...

A weekend topic starting with Bloomberg. "In the early 2010s, economic development emphasized renting over homeownership. With the suburban-focused homebuilding industry in shambles, as the rental vacancy rate plunged, apartment construction boomed. In 2017, the number of homeowning households...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "WFLD-Ch. 32 news anchor Sylvia Perez and her husband recently sold their four-bedroom, 4,375-square-foot house in Hinsdale for about $1.33 million. The couple paid $2.2 million for the house in 2006. They first listed it in 2013 for $2.399 million...

A report from the Bloomberg. "The Federal Reserve is steadily hiking rates, most recently on March 21 when the federal funds rate rose a quarter point to a target range of 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent. Libor, a benchmark rate the world’s biggest banks charge each other, is also on the rise....

A report from Western Investor in Canada. "A sustained attack on buyer demand in Vancouver’s detached housing market has decimated sales and is leading to 'unbelievable' price reductions. If government plans were to crush sales in the city’s premiere residential market it has been spectacularly...

A report from ABC 7 News in California. "In the competitive Bay Area housing market money talks, but one family says singing set them apart. Natan Kuchar is a high school music teacher, his wife Lili teaches elementary school, and the two rented a Berkeley apartment in the Poets Corner...

A report from the Commercial Observer. "Freddie Mac has been a trailblazer when it comes to affordable multifamily housing, delivering record numbers and leading the nation as the top multifamily financier in each of the last three years. David Leopold is at the forefront of Freddie’s presence in...

A weekend topic on an assortment of bubble related articles, starting with Successful Farming. "According to Ag Funder’s Agrifood Tech Investing Report: Mid-Year Review 2017, start-ups focused on farm-management software, sensing, and IoT were the most numerous, with 46 raising $213 million in...

A weekend topic starting with MarketWatch. "As interest rates rise, fewer households refinance their mortgages. And the refinances that do get done are often very different than those initiated during low-rate periods. 'When rates are low, the primary goal of refinancing is to reduce the monthly...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "By nearly every metric, Miami-Dade County is one of the most difficult places to live if you don't make a ton of money. The county's median income is a staggeringly low $44,000. What have Miami-area officials done to help the working poor? They've...

A report from Global Times on China. "The era of 'strong demand' in China's housing market is over, with 'imbalanced and inadequate' development becoming the industry's top problem, said Yu Liang, chairman of property developer Vanke Group. Yu made the remarks in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong...

A report from WHO TV in Iowa. "There is no question that downtown Des Moines is growing, you can see apartment complexes popping up all over the city. Many people see how much building is going on downtown, they see the cranes, and they hear about vacancies. It leads many to ask if downtown is...

A report from Community Impact in Texas. "Under the pressures of the city’s affordability crisis, Austin’s working families are moving out to suburbs such as Pflugerville, Round Rock and Manor, where housing prices are cheaper but work commutes are longer. The market challenges are acutely felt in...

A report from the Corridor News. "Federal Reserve officials came and left on Wednesday. They came with an interest rate increase. They increased the range on the federal funds rate 25 basis points. The toastier the market, the more abrupt the cooling, so dictate the laws of financial physics. We...

A weekend topic starting with Better Dwelling. "The value of Canadian real estate has been debated for some time. Those that benefit from ownership, often say 'fundamental value' is sending prices higher. Further adding that the increase of home prices, results in an increase of wealth for the...

A weekend topic starting with Bisnow. "Investor confidence in the stability of the multifamily sector this year remains strong, despite robust new supply levels and concerns regarding rising inflation and aggressive interest rate hikes. As the cycle continues to mature, investors are shifting their...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "It’s been the most consistent trend the city has seen over the last three years: Chicagoans leaving Chicago to move elsewhere. Yet the building boom that has curiously grown in reflection of the downward population doesn’t appear to be letting up....

A report from AZ Big Media in Arizona. "Last year was good for Arizona’s residential real estate market with boosted home sales, prices, and agents making deals. One noticeable shift in 2017 was that Millennials are now reaching a point of financial well-being. According to Homeowners Financial...

A report from Radio Australia. "Less than a decade ago this coastal Queensland town was on property investors' wish lists, but today 80 per cent of homes are selling at a loss. Young couple Philip and Aleisha bought their first home in Gladstone in 2012, when their central Queensland town was still...