The Housing Bubble Blog

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

The Impression They Might Not Sell For What They Bought

A report from the Seattle Times in Washington. "After years of sizzling growth, rents could be headed for a cool-down. The slowdown in rent growth for the older units is even more striking in or near downtown where most of the new units are being built. Mike Scott, co-owner of Dupre+Scott, said he...
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Hitting The Brakes

A report from Bloomberg. "While Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen heaped praise on the U.S. labor market in her press conference on Thursday, the housing market got little love. Residential real estate 'remains very depressed,' she told reporters after announcing at the end of a two-day meeting...
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It’s Now Driven By Sellers Not Wanting To Miss Out

The Guardian reports on Norway. "The collapse in the oil price has hit Norway’s economy. Around 50% of Norway’s export income comes from oil, which accounts for 20% of investment. The effect on Stavanger, Norway’s fourth largest city, has been pronounced. One in three jobs, around 43,000, are...
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The Global Monetary Madness

A weekend topic on some comments in today's Bits Bucket. "I told you a couple years ago that low rates are here for a long time." "As the perpetual cycle of this bubble continues, your risk for a realized loss goes up. Luckily, some of us bought at the almost bottom of a deflationary cycle, so we...
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Overcapacity Has Led To A Vicious Cycle

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "The latest foreclosure numbers contain some troubling news for the St. Louis area. RealtyTrac shows that foreclosure activity was up 128 percent over last year in Missouri, and 140 percent in the St. Louis area. RealtyTrac VP Daren Blomquist tells...
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Fear Of Missing Out Is Gone

A report from Stuff New Zealand. "Bank competition for the apartment lending market is heating up as more Aucklanders opt for high-rise homes. The price per square metre has increased a lot over recent years. City Sales managing director Martin Dunn said: 'I haven't touted apartments as a capital...
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The Crazy Game Of Overbidding

A report from the Oregonian. "After a record-setting July, the local real estate market cooled slightly last month but continued the trend of year-over-year growth, according to the latest numbers from the Regional Multiple Listing Service. Brigitte Pascutoi, managing principal broker in John L....
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The Façade Of Convenience

Yahoo Finance provides this weekend topic based on the following: "Bethany McLean is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and bestselling author. This excerpt is from her new book, 'Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants,' published by Columbia Global Reports. 'Housing was at...
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