The Housing Bubble Blog

The San Francisco Chronicle reports from California. "For all the talk of a housing slowdown, almost 97 percent of people who sold Bay Area homes in November got more than they paid for their properties, according to a new report. The report, from First American Real Estate Solutions, attempts to...

The Herald News reports from Illinois. "Real estate agents in Danville have decided that, as far as the local housing market goes, no news is good news. The local Realtors group says it no longer will submit sales data to the National Association of Realtors, after the area's median home prices...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street and Washington. "Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy previously-owned homes in November, suggesting weakness in the real-estate market may extend into the new year. An index of signed purchase agreements fell 0.5 percent, a third consecutive decline,...

The Boston Globe reports from Massachusetts. "Potentially hundreds of Massachusetts home buyers and other mortgage borrowers are being left in the lurch after Mortgage Lenders Network USA Inc. of Connecticut reneged on funding loans it promised to make, banking and government officials said...

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The Contra Costa Times reports from California. "Housing production slumped in San Mateo, the East Bay and California during November, according to a report. The number of building permits pulled in the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City area by developers plunged by 77 percent in November 2006...

The Rocky Mountain News reports from Colorado. "A record 19,425 real estate foreclosures were filed in the seven-county Denver area in 2006, 35 percent more than in 2005. Last year's numbers topped the record set in 1988 by 13.45 percent. 'It is a problem, a big problem, but it is not the worst it...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street. Bloomberg, "Mortgage Lenders Network USA Inc. stopped making new loans through its wholesale arm, becoming the third mortgage company in a month to curtail operations as housing sales slowed and defaults by borrowers rose." "'The economics of this...

The News Herald reports from Florida. "Bay County’s housing market came back to earth last year and will continue building steam in early 2007, says the president of the Bay County Association of Realtors. Acknowledging that 2006 was a 'tough and challenging' year for housing sales and prices,...

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The Sacramento Bee reports from California. "On a wintry weekday in California's fastest-growing small city, Bryan Petersen steps from a sales office to discuss how eager home builders are to make any kind of deal with people like him." "'They're asking $453,000 and offering $60,000 in incentives,'...

Independent Newspapers reports from Arizona. "Real estate experts have a mixed view on the future of the real estate market in the Southeast Valley. However all agree it is definitely a buyer’s market." "(Realtor) Ron Wilczek said in Mesa, the November home sales rate was $156 per-square foot,...

The Statesman reports from Texas. "Builders started construction on a record number of homes in Central Texas in 2006 but slowed the pace as the year drew to a close as inventories rose slightly, new figures show. Builders started 16,743 homes last year, a 10 percent increase from 2005, according...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street and Washington. "In another sign the housing recovery may still be on hold, Lennar Corp. said Tuesday it anticipates posting a fourth-quarter loss on a tough market and land charges. It anticipates quarterly charges in the range of $400 million to $500...

A report from the Washington Post. "Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have moved quickly to warn state-regulated lenders about the hazards to consumers from nontraditional mortgages. Tens of thousands of state-licensed lenders and mortgage brokers are affected by the advisories, also...

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The Press Telegram reports from California. "Where is Long Beach's condo market headed? The inventory has been on the rise, and there is no end in sight any time soon." "The West Ocean twin tower project in downtown is slated to open, bringing nearly 250 units to the area. A project behind the...

The Naples News reports from Florida. "After a rocky year in 2006, local Realtors expect the market to smooth out in 2007. 'You know I’m optimistic,' said Wes Brodersen, past president of the Bonita Springs-Estero Association of Realtors. 'If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be in real estate.'" "In the Naples...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Graphs in the local paper? How about a letter to the editor? "People should have to pass a test to be able to vote in Massachusetts. The person from North Andover who thinks his taxes should go down just because his property value has declined is...

The Journal News from New York. "Listings are the low-hanging fruit of real estate. So why did J.P. Endres, a (realtor) in Scarsdale, start turning away some listings last spring? She's concluded that the would-be sellers wanted too much money for their homes. 'I said, 'No thank you,' Endres said...