The Housing Bubble Blog

The Denver Post reports from Colorado. "Unable to sell her Aurora town home for what she owes on it, Judith Smith is looking for someone to take over her mortgage. Three years ago, Smith said, townhomes like hers sold for $140,000 and up, but a nearby foreclosure is on the market for $99,000. Even...

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The North County Times reports from California. "On the 3400 block of Hollencrest Road, the real estate bust has turned this neighborhood of 1970s, single-story houses into a checkerboard of browned lawns and plywood-covered windows. Every other house entered foreclosure over the last year....

I suggest the topic of coming changes in the down payment assistance program. ABC 15, "A ban on seller-funded down payment assistance programs will kick in October 1 when the new Housing Bill takes effect. Critics say the programs, which basically allow sellers to pay for a buyer's down payment,...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "To surrounding residents, the vacant home and the cleared field around it are a safety hazard and breeding ground for mischief. Neighbors hear gunshots late at night, and the area has become a dumping ground, littered with crushed beer cans and...

The Ledger reports from Florida. "The battle for Polk County property appraiser has been a battle over appraisals during hard economic times. In his campaign against incumbent Marsha Faux, Rusty Boedicker has enumerated one property after another to demonstrate what he perceives as inequity in the...

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The Press Democrat reports from California. "Exchange Bank's top executive, J. Barrie Graham, resigned unexpectedly as president and chief executive officer of Sonoma County's oldest and largest commercial bank. Exchange Bank has long been a key lender for local builders. But the real estate slump...

The Pittsburg Tribune Review reports from Pennsylvania. "Teresa Hunt worries she'll have to quit school if she doesn't find ways to supplement her mortgage payments. She wants to offer discounted rent to someone who would watch her children a few days a week. Hunt, of Beechview lost her job in real...

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports from California. "The percentage of households able to buy an entry-level residence in the state reached 48 percent during the second quarter, double the level from a year ago, according to the California Association of Realtors. The Bay Area remains the least...

The Columbus Dispatch reports from Ohio. "Last week, Patricia Ryan told the Franklin County Board of Revision that her house near Canal Winchester is worth less than the auditor's $139,800 value. The county should cut the property taxes on the Pompano Street house she bought new for $112,643 two...

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The Press Democrat reports from California. "Sonoma County's summer home sales surge continued in July as buyers snapped up discounted properties shed by lenders and financially strapped homeowners. The countywide median price fell to $399,000 in July, down 30.6 from a year ago. Prices were last...

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports from Georgia. "The anemic housing market should be a boost to Atlanta's apartment market. But the emerging shift in living arrangements is creating an unusual set of challenges for the industry. Leasing agents are having to contend more with the 'shadow...

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The LA Times reports from California. "Southern California home sales rose last month for the first time in nearly three years, although prices continued their downward spiral, data released today showed. In July, the region's median price fell 31% from a year ago to $348,000, the lowest since...

A report from Crain's New York Business. "Fueled in large part by the number of homeowners who could not keep up with monthly payments on subprime loans, 14,407 people filed for bankruptcy in the New York area during the first seven months of this year, compared with 11,026 in that period last...

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