The Housing Bubble Blog

Readers suggested a topic about a 'soft landing.' "How about this issue: what is a soft landing?" "I expect a soft landing, but my definition of the term is a lot different than that of the NAR. In my definition, the price of housing retreats to affordable levels (by traditional measures) in three...

The Herald Tribune reports from Florida. "When a developer recently submitted plans for 8,100 more homes in the Manatee County mega-project Lakewood Ranch, it left some people scratching their heads. Why would developers forge ahead with plans for thousands of homes there, and at other area...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Prices reduced, Incentives? Here's one from San Diego. "The slowing real estate resale market has hit homes in the Murrieta-Temecula area especially hard because of the plethora of new developments in south Riverside County. Prices are...

The Boston Globe from Massachusetts. "Gregory Truman and Wayne Pruitt didn't need a real estate agent to sell their Brighton condo two years ago, but they could have used a crystal ball. The market was so hot that Truman and Pruitt were able to sell the unit in a matter of days for more than...

Please post off-topic ideas, links and Craigslist finds here.

From CBS News in California. "The unsold inventory of new homes in Orange County is at the highest level since 1996, according to an economic forecast released Friday in Irvine. Through August, sales of existing homes in Orange County were off 29 percent compared to the same period a year ago, the...

Several readers suggested federal funds rate policy as a topic. "Was listening to the radio this amr. I forget if it was Bloomberg or CNBC. The announcer said that several of the big banks predict the Fed is gonna DROP rates this or next neeting. Almost all predict a drop in early to mid ‘07." "The...

MarketWatch reports on the homebuilders. "Large home builders are dangling out more incentives to reluctant buyers as the roof caves in on the U.S. housing market. To entice customers, companies are serving up deals that include a free pool, a fancy kitchen or even a new car. But real-estate...

Please post off-topic ideas, links and Craigslist finds here.

It's desk clearing time. "The U.S. housing market is going through a 'fairly orderly' adjustment process, Federal Reserve Governor Susan Bies said on Wednesday. 'Now that many investors perceive that prices have peaked... they are trying to sell, so excess demand is becoming excess supply, we still...

The Modesto Bee reports from California. "Clamorous construction sounds are fading in the Northern San Joaquin Valley as the once booming building industry slows. In Modesto, 16 building permits were issued this September compared with 60 in September 2005. 'We look to be in the middle of a...

From the Idaho Stateman. "Slumping Treasure Valley single-family residential real-estate sales have begun to affect the area’s once-skyrocketing housing prices, according to September industry statistics released Thursday. An Intermountain MLS report for September revealed the median price of a...

Newsday reports from New York. "The new normal of real estate, For Sale signs on every block and slipping prices, is here to stay, at least for a little while. The median price of a home in Nassau County was $480,000 last month, 4 percent, or $20,000, lower than a year ago, according to data...

The News Press reports from Florida. "Welcome to the post-boom world of Southwest Florida real estate, where builders compete for scarce customers by offering deep discounts and upgrades such as the Lees' pool. Home prices in Lee County have dropped sharply since December, when the median price of...

Please post off topic ideas, links and Craigslist finds here.

Also, don't forget to send you housing bubble photos to: photos@thehousingbubbleblog.com

The Union Tribune from California. "San Diego County's housing market extended its price and sales decline last month. DataQuick reported the median sales price in September at $476,000, down $22,000 or 4.4 percent from a year ago, the largest year-over-year drop since 1993. Overall sales tumbled...

The Rocky Mountain News reports from Colorado. "Colorado on Wednesday launched the nation's first statewide foreclosure hotline, which came out on the same day a national study said the state continues to be plagued by the highest foreclosure rate in the country." "The hotline is expected to help...

Some housing bubble news from Wall Street and Washington. "U.S. new-home prices will fall this year for the first time since the 1991 recession as a glut of properties for sale forces builders to offer discounts, the National Association of Realtors said." "The inventory of new and existing homes...

The Pioneer press reports from the Twin Cities. "The housing market's slowdown is gnawing at prices, resulting last month in the first drop in the Twin Cities' median selling price in recent memory. 'There's no urgency with the buyers right now,' said Justin Fox, a Realtor in Cottage Grove. 'It's...