It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Real estate experts say the Nashville housing market is cooling. Entry-level inventory is up a whopping 29.5 percent. Zillow economist Skylar Olsen said, 'One of the other things that's nice and why we know things are cooling off is we are seeing more of those listings having price cuts.'"

"A year-long cool down is taking its toll on Southern California home sellers, local agents and economists say. Homes sit longer. Asking prices are being reduced. And now, many sellers have to pay closing costs and pitch in for repairs to get their houses off the market. 'They’re getting a little scared, the sellers are,' said Riverside broker Maria Herrera. 'Everybody’s talking, is (the market) going back down?'"

"Southern California’s median sale price also was down $24,500 from the all-time high of $537,000 reached last June. Chris Thornberg, a founding partner with Beacon Economics, predicted sales could be back in positive territory by this summer. 'All these ridiculous claims of a housing downturn is just ridiculous' Thornberg said. 'The economy is humming along like nobody’s business. The fact that mortgage rates have dropped will not cause a rebound. It’s simply going to make the rebound stronger.'"

"Home values in metro Denver appear to have peaked last summer and are heading lower for the first time in seven years. That may provoke a sense of dread for those who struggled to stay afloat during the last housing downturn or lost everything in a foreclosure. After declining for years, the share of underwater mortgages started rising again in Colorado in the second half of 2018."

"Areas in the state with the highest share of underwater properties include Pueblo, Trinidad, Walsenburg, Meeker, Wiggins, Yuma, Wray and Olathe. But there are a few surprises. Vail, Avon, Aspen and Snowmass Village also have some of the highest negative equity rates in Colorado. There are some first-time buyers who have only put down 3 percent. If they did so last year, and the current drop in home prices continues, they could be at risk if they are forced to sell, said Ralph McLaughlin, deputy chief economist with CoreLogic."

"'The homeowners who are most likely to be underwater are first-time buyers who put 3 percent to 5 percent down and bought during the peak season,' said McLaughlin."

"First-time and move-up homebuyers with heavy debt loads, low credit cores and small down payments face a daunting new mortgage hurdle: The Federal Housing Administration is toughening its underwriting standards. Mortgage company executives told me last week that they are bracing for reductions in their FHA business by anywhere from 10 percent to 30 percent."

"For several years, the FHA has insured loans to buyers who previously would have been considered too risky or marginal at best. Borrowers are siphoning equity from their homes at an alarming rate. Joe Metzler, a loan officer at Mortgages Unlimited in St. Paul, Minnesota, welcomes the stricter standards. 'FHA has become the dumping ground for crappy (loan) files with ridiculous DTI allowances and bad scores,' he said. “A lot of it lately has been straight-up subprime. We should not be doing them.'"

"London was the weakest performing area in the first quarter of 2019, seeing prices drop 3.8 per cent year on year - the worst quarterly rate of decline since 2009. Lucy Pendleton, director of independent estate agents James Pendleton, said London has suffered 'a bruising start to the year.'"

"Some painful memories are beginning to stir in the heart of Dublin’s affluent south side. When a five-bedroom, three-bathroom Edwardian home hit the market in September, the price was €2.5 million (RM11.48 million). Today, the red-brick abode is on offer for €1.95 million, down by more than a fifth. The cut reflects a wider slowdown in the Dublin housing market."

"And one agent compared the becalming of the market to the period just before it crashed in 2008, one of the worst in Irish history and a bust that ultimately forced the country to seek an international bailout. The agent asked not to be named for fear of upsetting clients seeking to sell their homes, just as the latest boom runs out of steam. Since their 2012 low, prices have almost doubled."

"After about 15 years of uninterrupted house price rises, the Swiss government’s efforts to cool Switzerland’s overheated property market have finally succeeded. House prices dropped 2.56% y-o-y in 2018, from an annual decline of 1.7% in 2017. A surplus of close to 9,000 rented residential properties is expected this year, according to Wüest and Partner."

"Mainland developer Jiayuan International says it will relaunch its 'micro home' residential building in Tuen Mun around the middle of April, offering few details apart from a pledge to give homebuyers a 'surprise' in the project, which remains 99 per cent unsold. Analysts said prices at the 356-flat T Plus, which is slated for completion in September, might be slashed by up to 15 per cent."

"'The time of launch … will be as soon as possible. As soon as when we make the launch, you will have a surprise,' said Alex Kwong, project general manager at Jiayuan. Kwong said T Plus suffered from an ill-timed release of new flats, adding that a chill descended over the city’s housing market such that 'no project sold very well.'"

"If you felt a bit poorer at the end of last year, you're not alone — Australian households dropped a lazy quarter of a trillion dollars in wealth in the three months leading up to New Year's Day. The worrying news out of the figures is, while household wealth is falling, the household-debt-to-income ratio hit a new record just shy of 200 per cent."

"UBS economist George Tharenou said even though, 'Household liabilities fell over the quarter … income growth collapsed even more. Mr Tharenou said he was 'calling the end' of the household super leverage cycle,' which saw household debt triple since 1994."

"Along the well-manicured 1,425 green acres sit 3,500 luxurious homes. Most places inside Boca West Country Club are worth millions. But some are selling for as little as $1. Realtor and new homeowner Paul Green just moved into his 'as is' 1 bedroom and 1 ½ bath for the asking price of $1. Green said he bought his condo from an elderly man who is now living in a retirement home."

"There are additional expenses that will cost the buyer. There’s a one-time membership fee of $70,000.00 and HOA fees range from $1,300 to $1,700. Renee Freidman, another Realtor and resident tells WPBF within the last two years, homes have been selling for little to nothing. Green said, this was a lifetime purchase that was worth every penny. 'When you think about Manhattan, Miami, West Palm, you can’t live in a place like this for $2,000 a month,' Green said."