An Unsatisfactory Status Quo In California

The Record Searchlight reports from California. "State Real Estate Commissioner Jeff Davi did his best to allay concerns about the housing market as he addressed a packed house of Shasta County agents Wednesday in Redding. It may not be the best of times, he said, but it certainly isn't the worst....
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Real Estate Is Turning Into A Money Pit

The East Valley Tribune reports from Arizona. "Cash-strapped homeowners facing foreclosure are abandoning their homes in higher numbers and leaving behind potential public safety and health risks. City code enforcers and county health officials are saying many of the vacated houses are showing up...
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An Irrational Market Response

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. Bloomberg, "The number of Americans who may lose their homes to foreclosure rose to a record in the second quarter as late payments by subprime borrowers surged to one out of every seven loans. The share of all U.S. mortgages entering...
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Reselling Is No Longer An Option In Virginia

The Connection reports from Virginia. "Condominium sales have dropped by more than 50 percent, changing the course of some of Northern Virginia’s major projects and crippling sales of one of the regions most important types of housing. Some 20,000 condominiums currently are standing unsold in the...
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Now Buyers Are King In California

The Desert Sun reports from California. "Mirroring a trend sweeping across California and the rest of the country, home foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies are rising in the Coachella Valley. Triple-digit percentage increases are significant and send 'an alarm that something is wrong,' said...
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A Fine Line Between What's Enough And What's Too Much

The Emporia Gazette reports from Kansas. "There seems to be a lot of homes for sale these days in Emporia. 'We have probably the most inventory for this time of year that we’ve had in the last 10 years,' said Maurice Schmidt, (who) has been in the real-estate business for 30 years. 'Is this a...
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Abnormal Factors Are Clouding The Horizon

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. MarketWatch, "The U.S. housing market showed signs of major mortgage disruptions, with contract signings on existing homes falling by 12.2% in July -- the largest drop since the pending homes sales index started in 2001, the National...
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Everyone Who Bought In ’05 And ’06 Is Just Walking

The Sun News reports from South Carolina. "August real estate sales continued to show large declines compared to last year, with the number of condominiums sold reaching less than half of what sold last year. Real estate agent Lee Horton said August started out looking like sales would pick up,...
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Waiting For Prices To Come Down More In California

The Orange County Register reports from California. "After home shopping for seven months, Kane and Carrie Johnson found the first new home for sale that they like and can afford in Orange County. They're not whipping out pens to sign sales contracts, however. They're waiting to see if home prices...
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Too Much Inventory Competing For Buyers' Attention

The Missoulian reports from Montana. "Missoula may be somewhat insulated from the mortgage market misery consuming the rest of the nation, but it isn't entirely immune. 'Nationwide, the number of products we have to offer as mortgage lenders has shrunk,' said explained Cathy Swofford, broker and...
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An Almost Ubiquitous Conviction

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. Associated Press, "Construction activity plunged in July by the biggest amount in six months. The Commerce Department reported housing activity fell by 1.4 percent, more than double the 0.6 percent decline in June, and has now declined for a...
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Real Estate Bubble Trouble In Florida

The Herald Tribune reports from Florida. "It's a post-boom world out there, and many owners of residential property are experiencing real estate bubble trouble. Some are faced with payments that are about to 'adjust.' Others found themselves underwater even before they closed on a house, when the...
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Low-ball Offers And Feelers Are Routine These Days

The Sacramento Bee reports from California. "Tracy Trammell sold the boat, the extra vehicles and tried everything to 'find a way to refinance, or do what I could not to lose the house for my children.' She is in a bind all too common in Sacramento: a home losing value and an adjustable-rate...
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It’s Better To Slash Prices Now Rather Than Later

The Gazette reports from Colorado. "Colorado Springs’ tepid housing market needs a nationwide mortgage mess like a homeowner with a leaky roof needs a rainstorm. 'There’s going to be more inventory coming on the market,' predicted Joe Clement, owner of Re/Max Properties in Colorado Springs. 'It...
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Now Buyers Are The Ones Making The Prices

The Hudson Reporter from New Jersey. "In the past year, three construction permits have been issued by the town for the construction of three additional housing sites which were all approved. These sites, in addition to the housing that was already being built on the Meadowlands Parkway, will lead...
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