The Housing Bubble Blog

A housing report from the Idaho Statesman. "The inventory of vacant single-family residential construction lots and unsold speculative homes rose dramatically in the third quarter of this year, according to a recent survey. The survey's author and veteran Treasure Valley builders believe the...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street. "D.R. Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder, said Tuesday that quarterly profit fell 51 percent as orders declined, but results topped forecasts. Net sales orders for new homes fell 25 percent to 10,430 from 13,950, while the dollar amount of these...

The Flint Journal reports from Michigan. "The housing slump appears to be taking its toll even here in the lap of lakefront luxury, with for sale signs going up and prices coming down, if only to a point; sellers still would like a cool $2.6 million for that three-fireplace dream house, on N. Long...

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The Albuquerque Tribune reports from New Mexico. "The market, locally and nationally, reversed itself this fall, realtors and economists said. The number of existing homes on the market in Albuquerque, 4,695 as of September, has more than doubled from the 2,319 a year earlier. The anxiety has...

A housing report from New Orleans City Business. "The market has flipped upside down and buyers may soon have the upper hand, real estate professionals say. From the North Shore to the South Shore, there are more properties for sale than there is demand, the classic oversupplied market." "September...

The News Press reports from Florida. "The desperation may not be so obvious these days, but as the real estate market cools, some people are turning to auctioneers as a way to unload property they want, or need, to dispose of. As the once red-hot real estate market chills in Florida and other...

The New York Daily News. "Sorry, sellers - you don't have the upper hand anymore. The city's apartment buyers realize the market is tilting in their favor. Instead of frantically throwing themselves at the one suitable apartment they find, many are playing the field. If one seller doesn't like...

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The North County Times reports from California. "As Riverside County's real estate boom fades in the rearview mirror, signs of housing hangover are everywhere. Just ask a real-estate agent who hasn't closed a sale this year. Or representatives of Fox & Jacobs Homes, who are having to offer $10,000...

Readers want to hear your story. "How did the fence-sitters (waiting to buy) on this blog arrive at their decision? And did you have to face strong opposition from your significant other? If you did, how did you convince him/her to wait before purchasing a home?" "I’m curious because I’m an...

The Boston Globe reports from Massachusetts. "When Stephanie Ward-Wilson put her Norwell home on the market for $820,000 last January, she never dreamed she'd have to go through more than one cold dark winter with a 'for sale' sign on her front lawn." "'It was a very slow winter last year,...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Have a graph to share? Slower market? "In a climate of nervous buyers and frustrated sellers, the average Baltimore-area home sales fell by more than 22 percent. It was the weakest October since 2000." "'This has everything to do with buyer...

The Palm Beach Post reports from Florida. "It's so over for Opera Place. Reps are telling buyers and at least one attorney that both of the project's twin towers have been canceled. Buyers of the West Palm Beach project's second tower already were notified their tower was canceled and their...

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The San Francisco Chronicle. "Last week, when I received an e-mail press release from the National Association of Realtors previewing its $40 million ad campaign with the slogan, 'It's a great time to buy or sell a home,' I had to read it twice. Was this a joke?" "This ad campaign seemed to come...

Readers suggested a topic surrounding construction problems arising from a housing bubble. "I think in the coming months and years we will see more stories like this. It was only a matter of time before builder cost-cutting began to cause problems for buyers." One said, "In the early 1990s in San...

The Herald Tribune reports from Florida. "Ripping up a contract, abandoning a deposit and running away from a new home is a painful and expensive exercise, but it is one that more people are doing today than ever before. Jerry Starkey, CEO of Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities, told investors...

Newsday reports from New York. "For the first time in eight years, the median price of a home in Suffolk County dipped compared with the same month last year. Suffolk County dropped 2.5 percent to $390,000 last month from $400,000 in October 2005. Nassau's median home price, which dropped about 5.5...

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