The Housing Bubble Blog

The Orlando Sentinel reports from Florida. "The wave of investors who invaded Lake County in the mid-2000s did no favor to buyers, and in the long run, no favor to the community either. They served as a main engine to drive prices to an artificially high level for a short while. Neil Fischer, owner...

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The Recordnet reports from California. "In the early days of the housing downturn, home builders tried to pump up sales by offering various buyer incentives. That segued to cutting the base costs to try to attract buyers who were focusing more and more on the price tags. The newest trend is a price...

Readers suggested a topic on how housing prices and incomes will be resolved. "How about inflation vs. deflation? Most of those who post on this blog believe housing prices and consumer spending will have to collapse back to the level income can support, but there seems to be a difference of...

The East Valley Tribune reports from Arizona. "Less than two years ago, Gilbert homeowners Tim and Kris Koster moved to the East Valley and shelled out $433,000 for a five-bedroom home. They recently heard a similar-sized home in the area sold for nearly $130,000 less. Looking back, it was the...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Builder problems? "Thursday was move-in day for Rob Poidomani and Gretchen Reiners, the first residents of south Charlotte's new Ardrey Crest subdivision. The big move followed an unwelcome surprise: They'd learned days earlier their builder was...

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The Union Tribune reports from California. "Economist Edward Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, said the creation of a company that helps borrowers go into foreclosure reflects 'a collective erosion in borrowers' commitment to service their loans.' Households didn't default on...

The News Press reports from Florida. "A year ago, at $89,000 it was the cheapest house listed for sale in Lee County. Now, three real estate agents and several price cuts later, the 578-square-foot cottage in Fort Myers is for sale at $29,900 — reduced again Friday from $38,900 and still among the...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "A Dallas Morning News analysis of residential foreclosures shows the housing mess extends across North Texas – from high-end urban settings to far-flung suburbs. On the plus side for buyers, foreclosures have cut into housing prices. 'There's a lot...

The Wall Street Journal reports from California. "As home prices plummet, growing numbers of borrowers are winding up owing more on their homes than the homes are worth, raising concerns that a new group of homeowners, those who can afford to pay their mortgages but have decided not to, are...

The Press of Atlantic City reports from New Jersey. "House prices fell about 1 percent in the Atlantic City metropolitan area in the fourth quarter of 2007, a federal survey said Tuesday, the area's first decline since the recession of the 1990s. Franklin Williams, president of the Ocean City Board...

And send in your housing bubble pics to: hbbphotos@gmail.com

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Bloomberg reports from California. "A muddy gravel road winds uphill through a redwood forest to Jake Terhune's $985,000 home just outside of Geyserville, in the heart of California's Sonoma County wine region. Terhune, a self-employed cabinetmaker put down $100,000 and agreed to pay about $6,900 a...

A report from the Oklahoman. "The mess in the mortgage industry is hitting home for some Oklahomans. Bob and Dorothy Harper of Yukon grudgingly put their dream home up for sale Jan. 16. They had it custom built in 2002 to fit their every desire. 'It's not easy to come out of this house,' Bob Harper...

The Chicago Tribune reports from Illinois. "Chicago-area sales of existing homes took their worst plunge since at least 1998 in January, and the median price dropped for the first time in at least a decade, according to the Illinois Association of Realtors. January sales of single-family homes and...

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The LA Times reports from California. "Effie Micheals placed her three-bedroom, three-bath South Pasadena condo on the market last August for $750,000. Great neighborhood, great school district. She figured she'd get top dollar. And why not? The Southern California property market had been minting...