The Housing Bubble Blog

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The Union Tribune reports from California. "San Diego County home prices fell to a 3 1/2-year low in October, while sales activity rose from September in spite of last month's wildfires, DataQuick reported Tuesday. The overall median for October stood at $460,000, down $10,000 from September and...

The Gazette Times reports from Oregon. "Despite national headlines warning of shaky ground in the mortgage lending industry, home buyers shouldn’t necessarily assume that owning a home in Corvallis is out of their reach. 'Just because it’s raining in Florida doesn’t mean it’s flooding in Oregon,'...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. MarketWatch, "Countrywide Financial Corp. said Tuesday its total October mortgage-loan fundings fell 48% from a year earlier as the lender continues to struggle against a slumping housing market and the credit crunch." "In Countrywide's...

The Boston Herald reports from Massachusetts. "Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Lehman Brothers and other financial powerhouses are threatening to pull out of the wholesale mortgage-lending market in Massachusetts because of Attorney General Martha Coakley’s proposed new mortgage-broker regulations,...

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The Press Democrat reports from California. "'For Sale' signs planted in lawns along Banjo Drive mark the dashed dreams of families in this block-long stretch of two-story homes bordered by neat landscaping and walkways leading to parks and schools. Once a symbol of Sonoma County's housing boom,...

A report from the Arizona Republic. "The number of Valley homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure has shot up 566 percent so far this year, a result of the housing market's slowdown and rising interest rates on a variety of risky mortgages. Through October, there were 7,139 foreclosures,...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. The Guardian, "Construction firm Taylor Wimpey is looking for white knight to rescue it from a disastrous $30m-plus investment on Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast. The company has abandoned its efforts to develop any kind of property on 2.5...

The Palm Beach Post reports from Florida. "The buyers' remorse crowd keeps growing. Pre-construction buyers of the luxurious 2700 North Ocean Boulevard condominium being built on Singer Island...are making last-minute attempts to undo their million-dollar purchases just as the condo nears...

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The Union Tribune reports from California. "The mortgage market meltdown and the resulting surge in foreclosed homes offered for sale has created welcome home-buying opportunities for San Diego County's low-and moderate-income households. 'When was the last time we put thousands of affordable...

Readers suggested a topic on personal spending and saving in this holiday season. "I’d like to see a topic about what a bearish investor sitting on the sidelines with Cash that is getting throttled by inflation, stocks that are getting pummeled, and an overall bearish sentiment on the state of the...

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports from Pennsylvania. "If one word could describe the new-home market in the Philadelphia metropolitan region today, it probably would be sluggish. 'It's an enigma,' said said Diane Williams, in Montgomery County, who has been selling new and existing homes in the...

What do you see in your local housing market this weekend? Economic indicators? "The housing market took a big hit in September: Oregon residential permits plummeted to their lowest level since September 2000, said Tim Duy, economist and the author’s index." Subprime related problems?...

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The North County Times reports from California. "For the first time in nearly three years, the median price of a single-family home has fallen below $600,000, according to the latest report from the North San Diego County Association of Realtors. The decline amounted to 4.82 percent, from $609,375...

A report from the Charlotte Observer. "Beazer Homes USA will delay paying subcontractors in at least one city where it builds homes, as the company struggles to ride out one of the most severe housing slumps in recent history. The Observer obtained a letter dated Nov. 5 and signed by Beazer...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Southern Utah homebuyers and sellers may both breathe a sigh of relief as a steady flow of houses are being listed and sold, said Vardell Curtis, CEO for the Washington County Board of Realtors. Curtis said buyers are listing homes for lower prices...