The Housing Bubble Blog

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports from California. "When Dan Wan and his wife, Sara, bought their home two years ago, they managed to snag it in a tight market by contacting the sales office just after another buyer canceled a deal. But now they are looking for a larger home. After four months,...

Readers suggested a topic around New York housing. "My wife and I live in Queens NY. We want to buy here. In 1997-98 the houses we are interested in were around $300,000. Now they are still around $600,000-$650,000, down from $700,000 in ‘05. A return to the mean should put the prices at around...

The New York Times reports on Florida. "In 2002, when the St. Joe Company, one of Florida’s largest real estate developers, began selling parcels in a new neighborhood here, it was inundated by potential buyers. Four years later, you can hear a pin drop at the gated community of WaterSound Beach....

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Price reductions? PhillyBurbs, "The average price of homes sold in Lower Bucks County plummeted 14.5 percent in November, compared to prices in November 2005, according to data from Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors in Doylestown." "'We're seeing...

The Hartford Courant reports from Connecticut. "On one thing almost everyone agrees: The real estate market in Greater Hartford has slowed compared to a year ago, with more houses listed for sale and fewer houses selling. Homeowners in Portland listed their property for sale last June, asking...

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The Ventura County Star reports from California. "Centex Homes shelved a proposal this year to build 94 town houses at one of Oxnard's most congested intersections. With a softening real estate market, the Dallas-based developer decided to clear out its inventory of unsold homes before building the...

Readers suggested a topic on taxes. "Could we have a discussion about the ticking property tax bomb? I rent in Newton, MA. Essentially all of my colleagues have had their property taxes double over the last 10 years, despite city taxes limited by law to 2.5% increases. Even with a few tax-increase...

A housing report from the Oregonian. "If you're thinking that For Sale sign down the street is about to sprout moss, you're not imagining things. New listings of homes for sale in the Portland metropolitan area increased 8.5 percent last month, while closed sales declined by 17.5 percent." "The...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. The Birmingham News, "Ginnie Mae President Rob Couch said Tuesday metro Birmingham's housing market is holding up well. He said he doubts reports of a housing bubble. 'There are declines in markets like California, Florida and the West Coast, but...

The Press Democrat reports from California. "Home prices fell more sharply in Sonoma County last month than anywhere else in the Bay Area, except Solano County, according to a report issued Thursday. In Sonoma County, prices have dropped 7.7 percent to a median of $530,000, while sales have...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street and Washington. "Black & Decker Corp., the biggest U.S. maker of power tools, cut its annual profit forecast for the third time after a U.S. housing slump 'significantly' reduced sales. There may be 'additional pressure on our earnings,' said CEO Nolan...

The News Press reports from Florida. "Expect Lee County's residential real estate market to stay in the doldrums for another three years, Orlando-based economist Hank Fishkind told (a) Conference in Fort Myers. As Florida's housing bubble deflates, he said, 'the shape of the bottom will be...

The Newtown Bee reports from Connecticut. "2006 is shaping up to be the year the region turned into a buyer's market, with a housing slump hitting New England harder than most of the rest of the country, and predicted to stay that way through the decade's end." "'Statistically, I just don't see...

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More November numbers from Dataquick in California. "Bay Area home prices dipped below year-ago levels in November for the second time in three months as sales held steady at a five-year low. The median price paid for a home in the nine-county Bay Area was $616,000, down 1.4 percent from $625,000...

USA Today reports from Colorado. "Auctioneer Bret Richards barely broke his rapid-fire chatter as he eyeballed uncertain bidders. Less than a minute later, the house was sold. In two hours, 61 were auctioned, all of them foreclosures. One of main factors pushing up foreclosures: the number of...