The Housing Bubble Blog

The News & Observer reports from North Carolina. "Near the peak of the recent real estate boom along coastal North Carolina's rivers and sounds, William Highfill got an invitation for a gala three-day sales weekend at a new Brunswick County subdivision. It was spring 2006 when Highfill joined a...

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The Press Enterprise reports from California. "Three years ago when Jeffrey Homes set out to build Villa de Madrid, a 98-unit condominium project in Hemet, Inland home prices were breaking records monthly. Condominiums were welcomed by local builders as the only way left to provide affordable homes...

The Rocky Mountain News reports from Colorado. "The foreclosure tsunami is starting to sweep over some of Denver's most exclusive neighborhoods. Homes priced at $1 million or more in places like Cherry Hills, Cherry Creek Country Club and LoDo are popping up more frequently on foreclosure rolls. On...

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports from Michigan. "No matter the motivation, many homeowners are finding that despite reasonable interest rates, they're stuck with the loans they've got. The problem? Declining home prices and a slow market have stolen the equity many homeowners thought they had built up...

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Reades suggested a topic on opportunity in the housing bust. "Let's talk about how to profit from the bust." "The group of moneyed investors guided by a Wall Street friend of mine (are) currently buying REO single family houses by the dozen from banks at 10% off list. When I mentioned the risk to...

The Herald Tribune reports from Florida. "David and Heather Hash are like many who bought homes at the height of the housing boom: Now, looking to sell, they find they owe more than their house is worth. Their three-bedroom, two-bath house, which they bought in 2004 for $337,000, has been on the...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Condo problems? "A high-rise renovation project in central Phoenix that received high praise when it was converted from apartments to condominiums in 2005 appears headed for serious trouble. The Landmark Towers was built as Camelback Towers in...

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The San Francisco Business Times reports from California. "So-called middle class millionaires, those with $1 million to $10 million, say they expect to lose real estate to foreclosure in the year ahead, according to a recent survey conducted by Lewis Schiff, a co-author of The Middle Class...

Readers suggested a topic on the GSEs. "Is everyone finally realizing this thing is too big to bail?" Another, "Let's talk about what would happen if Freddie and Fannie went BK, their stock went to zero, and their bonds traded at about 40% of par value. Would other players be able to step in, raise...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "By all indicators, Treasure Coast housing values continue to fall. At last, property appraisers are tumbling to that fact. After reporting increased valuations for 2006, local appraisers calculate that total assessed values finally declined in 2007....

The Journal News reports from New York. "You needn't tell Paul Meda that the housing market in Rockland County has slowed to nearly a crawl in recent years. That's because Meda and his wife, Maria, have been trying to sell their four-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath bilevel for about two years. 'We've actually...

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The North County Times reports from California. "North County housing deepened its slump in June as foreclosures dictated the market and high-end housing prices begin to show weakness. The median price for a home sold in June tumbled 26.5 percent from a year ago to $490,000, according to the North...

The Casper Star Tribune reports from Wyoming. "Federal data show that southwest Wyoming is bearing the brunt of the state's population growth. 'It's not really surprising at all,' Sublette County Planning Director Bart Myers said of the latest census figures, which are tied heavily to the...

The Sun Sentinel reports from Florida. "Twenty-six of the county's 31 municipalities lost population and three of them - Hollywood, Coral Springs and Pembroke Pines - made the Top 10 list of fastest-shrinking large cities from 2006 to 2007, according to U.S. census estimates released today. The...

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