The Housing Bubble Blog

The Rio Rancho Observer reports from New Mexico. "According to realtor Cari Barlow with Sunland Realty in Rio Rancho, the housing market is returning to what it was before the big upward rise in prices Rio Rancho experienced several years ago. 'For those two years it was a seller’s market,' Barlow...

Due to server downtime last weekend, this thread has been forwarded so it can be used this weekend. And send your housing bubble pics to: hbbphotos@gmail.com

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CNN Money reports from California. "The subprime mortgage meltdown has shaken the entire U.S. economy. But nowhere might the impact be as stark as Irvine, California. A year ago at this time, Irvine was home to 18 subprime lenders, including many of the leaders in the field, such as New Century...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. Associated Press, "Lennar Corp., one of the nation's largest homebuilders, said Thursday it swung to a loss in the first quarter as it absorbed charges to write down asset values and costs, while new home sales and prices sank. Sales fell 62...

The Orlando Sentinel reports from Florida. "She misses her grandchildren, who live in Winter Park, but Ann Ortstadt had to move away. She couldn't afford Central Florida. The grandmother of two now lives in Atlanta, which ranked second in population growth last year, according to today's U.S....

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The Voice of San Diego reports from California. "In the sharpest price drops recorded since two economists developed their popular method to track housing prices in the 1980s, local home prices declined a steep 16.8 percent from a year earlier and 21 percent from the peak in November 2005,...

The Great Falls Tribune reports from Montana. "Condo developments can be found across Great Falls, ranging in both price and age. Calvin Scott, president of the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors in Kalispell and who serves on federal and state housing boards and committees, says Montana is...

The Morning Sentinel reports from Maine. "Maine isn't the kind of state where a drive through a large subdivision reveals home after home up for foreclosure sale. Instead, the foreclosure problem in Maine reflects the spread-out nature of the state, a house here, another there, a few more a couple...

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports from California. "A total of 343,220 single-family detached California homes closed escrow in February (seasonally adjusted), down 28.5 percent from 480,170 a year earlier, the California Association of Realtors said. Median sales price in the state was $409,240,...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. Reuters, "Prices of existing single-family homes slumped for the 18th month in a row in January, for a record annual drop, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released on Tuesday. The composite month-over-month index...

The Bradenton Herald reports from Florida. "In February, the prices of existing-homes continued to fall - to $254,200 from $319,000 from February to February. Locally, the median price of a single family home was down 20 percent, tying with Miami for the second-largest price tumble. Punta Gorda...

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The Used House Salespeople report from California. "Home sales decreased 28.5 percent in February in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home fell 26.2 percent, C.A.R. reported today. The median price of an existing, single-family detached home...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. "Existing-home sales...remain 23.8 percent below the 6.60 million-unit level in February 2007. Single-family home sales...are 22.9 percent below 5.80 million-unit level a year ago. Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast are 26.4...

The Star News reports from North Carolina. "This year's spring house-hunting season belongs to the buyers. That's what area real estate agents are saying. Agent Glenda Tate says she is excited about the market from the buyers' point of view. 'If you couldn't afford the house in the location you...

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The Napa Valley Register reports from California. "For Francisco Zapien, the deal was too good to be true. In October of 2006, Zapien signed a contract for a home on Bryan Avenue in Napa. The $550,000 mortgage he was approved for required no down payment. Today Zapien, who has worked as a tractor...