The Housing Bubble Blog

Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.

Cheap Debt Sustained The Frenzy

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Just how bubbly is the San Francisco real-estate market? Home builder Hovnanian announced Wednesday it would exit the market, calling it 'frothy' and saying that prices for land in the Bay Area are 'lofty, almost speculative.' San Francisco home...
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Invest For Growth Has Been Exposed As Gambling

Reuters reports on Canada. "Demand for condominiums is soaring in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver, prompting some analysts to worry about a potential bubble. At the same time, crude-producing provinces like Alberta are in a slump. Canadian housing starts jumped in February from January as hot...
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The Volatile Nature Of Boom And Bust

The Stockton Record reports from California. "San Joaquin County is among the nation’s most active housing markets for home flipping in 2015, RealtyTrac reported. Irvine-based RealtyTrac tallied nearly 700 home flips in San Joaquin County last year, accounting for 8.6 percent of all single-family...
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A Boom Town Is Seeing A Housing Market Reversal

A report from the Herald Scotland. "The stark impact of the plummeting oil price on the economy in the north east of Scotland has been revealed by new research showing soaring numbers claiming benefits and a drop in house sales and planning applications. But Faisal Choudhry, director of Scottish...
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A Zero-Interest Rate Liquidity Trap With No Easy Exit

A weekend topic on three opinion articles. ABC News in Australia. "When it comes to bubbles, Australian property ticks pretty much all the boxes. If there is a sharp correction in the eastern states it will have a devastating impact on our banks and economy, writes Ian Verrender." "As of December,...
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It Is Bubble-Like Again

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Rising home prices are bringing more house flippers out of the woodwork, and that may be a sign of an overheating housing market. The number of active home flippers last year was the highest in nearly a decade, and it is only growing. Home flipping...
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It's Still A Serious Disconnect

CBS Boston reports from Massachusetts. "See a house for sale in Boston? Like the price? Don’t get too comfortable. If you want to buy property in certain areas around the city, real estate agent David Bates says you should be prepared to shell out a lot more money than what the sellers are asking....
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People Got Overzealous And There Was No Discipline

The Vancouver Sun reports from Canada. "Housing in Vancouver is becoming dangerously unaffordable. That was among the findings of an RBC report released Monday, the same day Vancouver city councillor Geoff Meggs offered a reality check to homeowners in the country’s hottest real estate market....
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A Market About Patience Or Price

Boston.com reports from Massachusetts. "If you are looking to buy a home in Cambridge, expect to struggle a bit. In a new Zillow study, Cambridge ranked as the number one sellers’ market in the Boston metro area, meaning homeowners are likely to get the price they want when they put their house on...
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