The Housing Bubble Blog

The East Valley Tribune reports from Arizona. "Buyers welcome. That’s the message the East Valley’s new home market is starting to send to people looking to buy homes, especially those who held back as prices escalated to new records. What’s telling is the average new home price, which was $331,336...

A realtor from Wisconsin started this topic suggestion. "How about a discussion of effective negotiating tactics in a buyer’s market, especially in light of the 'stubborn seller' phenomenon? For those who have to buy (for example, are moving and can’t find a rental that works for them), how should...

The Boston Globe reports from Massachusetts. "Condominium prices in downtown Boston declined 6.9 percent in the three months ending Sept. 30, the second consecutive quarter in which slumping sales drove prices down. The median condominium price was $419,000, down from $449,950 in the third quarter...

The Gainesville Sun reports from Florida. "What a difference a year makes. In Alachua County last month, only 215 homes sold here, a 26 percent decrease. The number of condominiums that closed in the year-to-year comparison took a nose dive as well; 41 percent fewer this September than last." "'We...

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It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Latonya Barbery, a medical assistant in Old Bridge, N.J., said she has looked for a home for the past 18 months but found them still too expensive. 'They're asking too much for these little shacks,' she said in an interview with The Associated...

The Olympian reports from Washington. "South Sound median sales price increases for homes year-to-year have dropped from 28 percent in February to 5 percent last month, the Olympic MLS reports." "Median sales prices have dropped in five of the first nine months this year, peaking at $262,488 in...

The Monterey Herald reports from California. "Real estate in California moved in September like chilled molasses. For September, Monterey County reported 156 sales, less than 50 percent of the sales volume of September 2005. There were 2,437 homes on the market during September in Monterey County,...

The Daily Herald from Illinois. "So much for the Chicago area being insolated from the sharp home sale downturns felt in other markets. Local home sales plummeted 23 percent in September, according to a survey. The September picture was dramatic. Illinois combined sales for single-family homes and...

Newsday reports from New York. "In January, when retired psychologists Ben Schwartz and wife, Peppi, put their Commack home of 44 years on the market for $649,000, it looked like a safe bet. 'Houses in Commack last year were at a premium,' Peppi Schwartz recalls. 'We thought it would sell very...

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The Union Tribune reports from California. "San Diego County figures from DataQuick indicated a downturn trend in prices. The median price last month for newly built houses and condos and condo conversions locally was $413,500, down 17 percent from a year earlier, with analysts speculating that...

The Arizona Republic. "The stalled housing market is hitting builders in their wallets. Revenue and profits are down, and slower sales and canceled deals are pressuring builders. They've responded with layoffs and by unloading or revaluing land they bought in the housing boom." "Most of the big...

The Daily Progress reports from Virginia. "Sales of homes in Virginia slid nearly 27 percent in September, marking the largest percentage drop this year, and the 13th consecutive month of slower sales. The median price, with half the houses selling for more and half for less, fell 9 percent to...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street and Washington. "U.S. homebuilders slashed prices at the fastest pace in 36 years in September and managed to boost sales to the highest level in three months, the government said Thursday. However, sales in June, July and August were revised down by...

The Florida press reacts to the home sale numbers. The Palm Beach Post, "Even the most steadfast residential real estate bull is going to have a hard time denying the bear is in the house with Wednesday's sales report from the Florida Association of Realtors. Now, buyers are calling the shots."...

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The California realtors have Septembers numbers out. "Home sales decreased 31.7 percent in September in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home increased 1.8 percent, the California Association of Realtors reported today." "The median price of...

The Florida realtors have the September numbers out. "A total of 13,485 existing single-family homes sold statewide last month, a decrease of 34 percent from the 20,451 homes sold during the previous September, according to the Florida Association of Realtors. Statewide, the existing-home median...