A report from the Wall Street Journal. "Lumber prices typically rise in the spring as builders stock up for construction season. But this year, they are being hit hard by bad weather and a decline in home building. 'We’re starting to feel a little nervous about the market in the next year,' said Abbe Will, from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. 'This certainly does look like a turning point in the cycle.'"

The Herald Tribune in Florida. "Manatee County reported 602 housing starts in the first quarter, down 18.4% for the year. Sarasota County had 526 starts, down 3.0%. The under-construction backlog stood at 2,429 units as of March 31, or 397 less than six months ago."

"The largest gain in home-start activity came in the $400,000 to $450,000 price band, with a near 20% annual growth rate. The largest increase in unit count was for prices over $450,000, where starts jumped by 161 units compared to last year’s annual rate. 'The ‘Snowbird Season’ got off to a slow start in January, as contract pace was off substantially compared to January 2018,' said Metrostudy regional director Tony Polito. 'The big concern is the inability to produce product under $250,000. Just 19% of all new home construction is considered 'affordable.'"

The Arizona Republic. "Not all metro Phoenix neighborhoods saw home prices climb in 2018. Downtown Phoenix, among the handful of areas that saw prices dip last year, is the biggest surprise. The area’s overall median price dipped 4 percent to $322,000 in 2018 from $333,250 in 2017."

"It’s not that values are falling in the area drawing many new residents. Instead, new-home prices have dropped as developers try to provide more housing affordable to workers and students in downtown Phoenix. The price on new homes fell from $423,000 in 2017 to $175,000 last year."

"This far north Scottsdale ZIP code saw prices dip 2 percent last year from $700,000 to $687,000. In the West Valley, this large ZIP code includes part of retirement community Sun City Grand in Surprise. The area’s overall median home price fell 2 percent last year from $281,161 to $276,928."

From Boston.com in Massachusetts. "Larry Rideout, chairman of Gibson Sotheby’s International Real Estate, added a few words of caution that other agents quoted in this story echoed. 'We are re-educating sellers,' Rideout said. 'Pricing a home correctly is more important than ever. We’re not seeing the numbers we were seeing a couple years ago. If a home isn’t priced realistically, buyers won’t even look at it.'"

From Fox News. "Managing Director at The Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group Jason Meister said big city developers struggle to sell real estate, especially in New York, because 'blue states need to shape up. They're fiscally irresponsible,' adding, 'Investors are not going to be here (New York City). It’s just not going to happen.'"

"According to Miller Samuel Inc., a real estate appraisal and consulting firm, more than 40 percent of apartments on New York City's 'Billionaires' Row,'  the area around West 57th Street and Central Park South, are sitting unsold."

"Meister said New York City offers an environment that 'makes for an unsafe investment.' He added, 'New York always was a safe investment and what’s happening is, it’s becoming an unsafe investment. Capital is very smart. It leaves when things are not safe.'"

"The struggle to sell real estate is also being reported in San Francisco, Ca. and Washington, D.C. When asked what all three cities have in common, Meister answered, 'The cities, they're run by Democrats.'"

"'New York State is going to lose $2.8 billion of tax revenue. We're going to lose 800,000 residents who pay taxes. This state has a serious problem. So does California,' he said."

From Globe St on California. "San Diego and Los Angeles were among the worst cities for real estate investment last year, according to a new report from Compound. The report analyzes single-family housing appreciation in the last 12 months and the volatility and risk of purchasing in each market."

"'These markets have relatively high volatility. When you invest in a market, you have to generate outsized returns to justify the risk,' Jesse Stein, founder of Compound, tells GlobeSt.com. 'These markets can move 15% to 20% in a year, either on the upside or the downside. In investing in those markets, you need to be able to justify the risk that is associated with that volatility will be accompanied by outstanding returns.'"

"West Coast markets accounted for the top five cities on the 'worst investments' list, with San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle rounding out the list. 'The West Coast markets, which have done great over the last eight to 10 years, have slowed down over the last 12 months,' says Stein. 'They are in a period of correction and they are volatile markets, and when you mix those two, they have under performed in the last 12 months.'"

"Stein doesn’t have an opinion about what has caused the slow down in appreciation. He says that this is a natural evolution of the market—which has been rapidly expanding. 'This is a natural correction based on the tremendous run up,' he says."