The Housing Bubble Blog

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

A pair of reports from California. "A drop in requests for building permits and in competition for the city's housing allotments for single-family homes has prompted questions about a slowdown in residential development. By June 23, Redlands had issued 66 building permits for single-family homes...

One wide ranging topic thread went roughly like this. "Will the real Ben Bernanke please stand up! Does anyone have read on what Ben Bernanke is all about? Is he really serious about fighting inflation and loose credit or is he in reality a cagey poker player?" "Based on my read of the FOMC...

A pair of reports on foreclosures in Massachusetts. "Sheila Farragher-Jemma of ForeclosuresMass.com says in the last year the number of foreclosures jumped 105 percent, and she expects many more in the coming months. 'Thousands of people, they're losing their homes on a daily basis,' she says."...

What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Motivated sellers? Builder incentives? Here are some from the topics thread. "There is a radio ad running in San Diego promising to help you 'find a mate' It goes on to explain how knowing your credit score can help you get a new car or boat....

Some readers suggested a topic on non-US housing. "The countries I am most familiar with; Australia where I live, and the UK where most of my relatives live, seem to have dodged the bullet, for now." Another said, "I have noticed that Austrailia and the UK home prices have come to a soft landing....

The Salt Lake Tribune reports on the race to unaffordability in Utah. "Those with properties in the Sugar House area in Salt Lake City saw median selling prices rise by one-third in the first three months of the year. Selling prices in Hooper in Weber County jumped 40 percent. Think that's crazy?...

Please post off-topic ideas, links and Craigslist finds here. This thread will be forwarded through the weekend.

The Gilroy Dispatch finds the 'sellers paradise' is over. "The housing market in recent years has been a seller's paradise. But the market has started to swing the other way, real estate agents say. 'We are no longer in a state where the second you see it you must put in an offer. Buyers can take...

Several readers suggested a topic on the housing bubble exodus. "I would be interested to hear from people who left California for the midwest and if they are happy with the decision to move or plan to move back once prices improve." Another added, "An overall topic of people who left CA and went...

The Wall Street Journal has this report on home pricing strategies. "Now that the market has grown uncertain, homeowners are at more of a loss when deciding what price tag to put on their property. Some sellers are experimenting with non-traditional strategies for setting prices." "When Eleanor and...

What are your housing market predictions at the mid-year point of 2006? Call any market; local, regional or global. This thread will be forwarded through the holiday weekend. Or this from the topics thread. "How about: Mortgage Rate Predictions For January 1st, 2007." A reply, "I’m already giving...

The Friday desk clearing starts with this news. "Single-family housing starts have declined 27.2 percent for the first five months of the year compared to the first five months of 2005, according to a report by the California Building Industry Association, and starts were 22.4 percent lower in May...

The Frederick News Post has this from Virginia. "Worried Fredericksburg-area homeowners may start calling Ken Scruggs if the Federal Reserve raises rates. The (mortgage broker) in Fredericksburg said people with adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, are getting anxious to lock in a fixed-interest...

A pair of reports from Florida, starting in Polk County. "Only one feature of The Ledger's Polk Business Barometer, new housing permits, is heading south. But although building permits issued in May fell 27.4 percent to 637 single-family homes, the decline appears to be a temporary blip in an...

The Arizona Republic has these updates on the Phoenix area. "West Valley home prices have held relatively steady since the end of 2005, but resale homes are lingering on the market longer as developers try to unload their inventory of new homes using deep discounts and other incentives." "In the...

A rare housing bubble report from North Carolina. "The morning after the big real estate boom is roughest in places like Carolina Beach where speculation pushed some prices up close to 100 percent over two years. But the giddiness of 2005 is a memory in a lot of places." "May marked the fourth...

Please post weekend topic suggestions here.

A trio of reports from California. The Monterey Herald, "Speaking this week, Leslie Appleton-Young, vice president and chief economist for the California Association of Realtors, painted a picture of a changing housing market, where for-sale homes linger, multiple bids no longer push prices...

Thw Washington Post reports on the pending Fed decision. "The Federal Reserve is on track to lift its benchmark interest rate again today for a 17th consecutive quarter-percentage-point increase over 25 months, making this the longest sustained campaign on record of raising interest rates." "So why...