The Housing Bubble Blog

The St Petersburg Times reports from Florida. "Evidence is mounting that the downturn in Florida's real estate market may be broader than experts had expected. St. Joe Co., the largest private landowner in Florida, is exiting the homebuilding business in the state. Giant homebuilder Lennar Corp. of...

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

It's desk clearing time for this blogger. "The housing market is now the all-consuming economic topic, and 'prices are falling' is the everybody-says, everybody-knows factoid du jour. I hate to give credence to those happy to see prices fall, but they are falling. OFHEO says that in the second...

The Anacortes American reports from Washington. "With fewer buyers and more homes for sale, the housing market on the island is slowing down. Overall home sales were down 27 percent in Anacortes from January through July. But for buyers looking in Anacortes, that’s not entirely bad news." "'We’re...

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street. "The housing market is looking sicker by the day. Economist Ian Shepherdson said that the housing market is so far gone that 'it's not rescuable anymore. The housing market is beyond the control of the Fed.' He compared it to a football game played on a...

The Voice of San Diego reports from California. "If you want to know how a home building company is holding up in an uncertain housing market, just peek in its break room. 'We used to have amazing food in our break room for free,' Lennar Corp intern Travis Carter said. 'Starbucks every morning with...

The Gazette.net reports from Maryland. "The financial incentives that homebuilders are dangling before suddenly reluctant buyers may get even more enticing as the slumping home sales market crawls to 2007. 'Builders will find every conceivable way to boost their sales' to unload inventories during...

Post off-topic ideas. links and Craigslist finds here.

Post ideas for weekend topic suggestions here. Also, don't forget to send your housing bubble pictures to: photos@thehousingbubbleblog.com

The Olympian reports from Washington. "An abundance of homes on the market has turned the once white-hot seller's market into one that is more buyer-friendly, according to South Sound real estate professionals. Home sales fell 11 percent in August, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by...

A housing report from the Idaho Statesman. "In the Treasure Valley, the (OFHEO) report proves the housing market remains strong despite a drop in sales since the second quarter ended June 30, said Dan Givens of a Boise-based real estate firm. Not everyone views the local market so positively....

Some housing bubble reports from Wall Street and Washington. "U.S. home prices will probably fall temporarily as the housing market corrects, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. 'This year sales are slowing, homes are plentiful and sellers are negotiating,' said David Lereah, chief...

The Boston Globe reports on home prices. "Falling prices have created a new twist in the suburban Boston real estate market: More homes are selling for less than their assessed values. Massachusetts house prices slumped 3.5 percent in July, the biggest monthly drop since 1993, as a slowdown in...

The Gazette.net reports from Maryland. "It’s a lesson being learned by potential sellers all over Montgomery County. Margaret Carty figured her 5,000-square-foot home would sell quickly and profitably when it went on the market in April. But it took almost five months before Carty agreed to the...

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

The Valley Voice reports from California. "In Visalia, inventory has reached over 1900 single family homes on the MLS, up from 1801 July 1. There were just 437 homes for sale in the Visalia/Tulare MLS in July 2005. 'It’s getting worse,' says long time realtor Sherry Tietjens, with sellers having to...

The Denver Post reports from Colorado. "Weld County homeowners saw their home values decline as the nation's housing market hit the brakes hard in the second quarter, according to a report. In Weld County, the housing market isn't dead, but it barely has a heartbeat, said Pam Worster, a broker...

The Carrollton Leader Star reports from Texas. "Although the sale of homes in the area is rising, local realtors are telling a different story than the numbers. The market is flooded with existing homes, but new home developments have made it hard for realtors to turn a home quickly." "'Today’s...

Danielle DiMartino writes at the Dallas News. "For an idea whether the housing market is in for a soft landing or something a lot nastier, take a look at the performance of home equity loans. Last week, Moody's Investors Service reported that the delinquency rate in the home equity loan market rose...

The Palm Beach Post reports from Florida. "Palm Beach County home-price growth slowed in the second quarter compared with last year in the steepest three-month decline on record, according to a government report released Tuesday that shows the housing slump deepening." "Palm Beach County's one-year...