The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the Toronto Star in Canada. "When it comes to Toronto real estate, there are roughly two kinds of people: those who own a home in the city and fear (or vehemently doubt) that a crash is upon us, and those who don’t own a home in the city and pray with all their might that a crash is...

A report from AZ Big Media in Arizona. "Phoenix renters caught a slight break in May, as average rents decreased slightly from the high reached in April, according to Axiometrics. Some moderation in the market can be expected given the recent drop in job growth. Meanwhile, levels of new supply are...

A report from the Bangkok Post in Thailand. "Over the past several years, concerns have been periodically raised about the possible re-emergence of a bubble in the Thai housing market, particularly on the back of condominium oversupply in Bangkok. The latest warning by Supachai Panitchpakdi, a...

A report from the Arizona Republic. "Condominium developers are building highrises near downtowns, luxury loft-style homes next to shopping centers and smaller infill-connected homes in popular neighborhoods of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe at a record pace. But not every infill housing project is...

A report from CBC News in Canada. "A record-breaking number of homes were listed for sale in the Hamilton area last month, according to new data from The Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB). In a statement, RAHB CEO George O'Neill said that two months ago, realtors were talking about...

A weekend topic starting with the Orange County Register. "Happy National Froth Day! Or, perhaps, my condolences! Twelve years ago today — June 9, 2005 — then-Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan — the guy who was once seen as the 'maestro' of the economy — went to Capitol Hill and...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "The number of construction cranes across Iceland is approaching the number counted in 2007, just prior to the banking collapse. It is likely, however, that the number of cranes will increase in the future, surpassing the 2007 numbers. Economists...

A report from the Denver Post in Colorado. "Four ex-employees accuse Aurora-based American Financial Corp. in a lawsuit of firing them after trying to expose the company’s alleged mortgage fraud. The mortgage originator allegedly misled at least a half-dozen banks and finance companies with faked...

A report from KENS 5 in Texas. "Are you willing to pay $13,000 dollars a month for an apartment? San Antonio is now home to some new luxury digs that will have you digging deep to lease. At 10 stories high, behind Hotel Emma is the Pearl's latest gem. The price-tag on this one bedroom apartment we...

A report from Bloomberg on Japan. "Land prices in Tokyo’s central Chuo ward, home to the famous Ginza shopping district, have jumped by 51 percent in four years. In Osaka, they are up by nearly half. Booming construction of hotels, office buildings, shopping centers and apartments, financed by...

A report from NBC News. "Millennials are growing up, settling down and looking to buy a house — for the extra room and the investment opportunity. Millennials were the largest group of home buyers (34 percent) for the fourth consecutive year, according to NAR’s 2017 Home Buyer and Seller...

A report from the Toronto Star in Canada. "Toronto region home prices have dipped slightly from April to May — down $55,604 on average — but still 15 per cent higher than May 2016, as the supply of re-sale house and condo listings rose 43 per cent year over year. There were 18,477 listings in May...

A report from the Journal Sentinel in Wisconsin. "If city living appeals to you and you’re ready to buy a place, an event Saturday will provide an opportunity to check out more than two dozen downtown Milwaukee condominiums that are for sale. 'Unfortunately, right now we’re at a period where...

A weekend topic starting with an opinion piece by John Coumarianos. "Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari has recently observed that asset price bubbles are hard to recognize, and, even if recognizable, the Fed shouldn’t do anything about them. Kashkari deserves praise for this,...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "When I see record-high homes prices and worst-in-seven-years job growth … I gulp! The median selling price for an Orange County home hit a record $675,000 in April, CoreLogic reports. In a county with chronic housing affordability challenges, a...

A report from the Australian. "When three similar global city real estate markets start showing the same patterns, it’s highly likely you are seeing a major trend emerging. The three major markets showing the same nervous trends are Vancouver, Sydney and Melbourne. And what is happening in the real...

A report from the Boston Globe in Massachusetts. "It’s too soon to declare victory, but Mayor Marty Walsh’s housing policies are clearly starting to help the two-thirds of Boston residents who rent their homes. City statistics show that average rents fell by 4 percent last year in older units in...

A report from Arlington Now in Virginia. "A report this week revealed the 20 most profitable cities for real estate appreciation. Nothing in our area came close. Arlington showed zero percent appreciation in 2016 across the board for all types of housing; condos, townhomes, and single family. Can...

A report from the Toronto Star in Canada. "A stomach churning drop of up to 61 per cent in the number of home sales in some municipalities around Toronto could translate to a single-digit decline in regional prices by the end of the month, says a realtor who has crunched the numbers. John Pasalis...

A report from the Star Tribune in Minnesota. "Even after almost four years of booming apartment construction, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro still has the tightest vacancy rate of any major U.S. city, according to Witten Advisors, a national multifamily housing consulting firm. But some...