A report from CNBC. "CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday delivered a dire message about the financial future. 'Home buying had been a real engine of the old economy. I’m betting these numbers collapse,' Cramer said. 'The whole housing cohort’s a house of pain until we get this virus contained.'"

From Yahoo Finance on New York. "The luxury housing market in New York City is grinding to a halt at the hands of the novel coronavirus. In recent years, the luxury market in the city has been experiencing a glut of inventory. Even when the stock market was reaching record highs In 2019, the high-end real estate market remained weak — puzzling since the real estate market usually correlates with the stock market. Now that the stock market has turned, things are likely to get ugly for the housing market."

"'I have no expectations going forward for contracts signed at $4 million and above. If a few trickle in, I would expect that the buyers got fabulous deals bordering on steals,' wrote Donna Olshan, president of her namesake brokerage. 'Between the coronavirus and the stock market finishing its worst first quarter in history, real estate looks bleak—if you are a seller.'"

The Daily Independent in Arizona. "'It is very early in this process,' said Mark Stapp, executive director at The Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. 'Only in the last two weeks has there been any data to show any profound effect. You are starting to see Escrows cancel.' Mr. Stapp also offers the perspective that much of the rental marketplace accounts for a significant amount of the overall housing marketplace in the Phoenix metropolitan area. "

"'The growth of the single-family market buys by institutional buyers followed by the ibuyers and the advent of the single-family, short-term rental market: those three things together were consuming a lot of inventory making the inventory tight,' he explained. 'What happens when those stop? A lot of people will be unable to sell or rent those homes. These are things that are going to happen over the next few weeks.'"

The Colorado Springs Gazette. "If home seekers who’ve lost jobs can’t qualify for mortgages or if jittery buyers stay put in rental properties rather than taking on hundreds or even thousands of dollars in monthly house payments, the single-family market could see its first downturn since the Great Recession."

"'March seemed to be still strong, but I have a feeling it’s coming,' said Carrie Bartow, board president of the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs. 'People are not going to be able to qualify for mortgages or the person that could have qualified in February for a mortgage may not be able to qualify for a mortgage in May because of the change in their employment situation.'"

The Santa Fe Reporter in New Mexico. "An analysis that accompanies the report says as early as February, as COVID-19 sent the stock market on a downward trajectory, lending markets for homebuyers changed too. 'With volatility across all the financial markets, lenders began tightening underwriting standards and some buyers found they no longer were approved for a loan,' it reads. Santa Fe Properties broker Dave Feldt agrees that's the area where Santa Feans could see big change. Lending has always been based on past performance such as job history, he says, but now lenders are looking forward with questions such as 'What do applicants have for jobs right now? If all the sudden the applicants for the loan have both been furloughed,' he says, lenders are 'done.'"

"That means speculation and upsizing could slow. 'The advice I give to clients, and I think this is reasonably solid, 'If you are buying a house, buy a house because you need a place to live, and you need to stay there and you need to be able to stay there,' he says. 'But if you are trying to keep leveraging up and all those other things, that may be thinking of the past.'"

From US News and World Report. "The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into all facets of life, including paying rent or the mortgage for some, and for those in a better financial position, buying a home, selling one or moving to a new rental. The more financially strained homeowners are, the more houses you're likely to see for sale and the fewer buyers there will be, which is typical of a market at the beginning of a recession. 'I expect prices to go down a bit after this, and I expect people to be able to buy maybe their dream home that they wouldn't be able to buy before this,' says Daniel de la Vega, president of ONE Sotheby's International Realty in Coral Gables, Florida."

"Sellers who are interested in a quick real estate deal through an iBuyer, like Opendoor or Zillow Offers, will have to wait. Both Opendoor and Zillow Offers, as well as similar firms, have paused transactions. This reduces the chances that iBuyer employees are exposed to COVID-19, and it also reduces the chances of mass attempts to liquidate homes for cash in a financial panic."

The Turlock Journal in California. "As the coronavirus pandemic ravages the U.S. economy and ghosts of recessions past arise, many people have one question on their mind: How will all of this affect the housing market? On Wednesday, Central Valley real estate team The Del Real Group hosted an informational webinar in Stanislaus County. 'We hear a lot about 2008 — is this 2008? Is this going to be a housing crash? People are freaking out,' real estate agent Daniel Del Real said."

With construction deemed essential and the development of homes moving forward during the pandemic, real estate agent Aaron West said the market is headed toward what most would consider a 'normal' state, rather than the seller’s market that existed prior to the pandemic."

The Orange County Register in California. "I’m worried about median home prices dropping 15% by the end of 2020. In the past few weeks, I’ve taken more than two dozen calls from clients and column readers with high anxiety about their jobs and businesses. How will they continue to make their house payments? What we are also seeing is an almost insurmountable amount of coronavirus-related challenges to get both purchase and refinance mortgages funded. Here is just a sampling of the stressors."

"The Internal Revenue Service has temporarily stopped validating the accuracy of tax returns for mortgage lenders. This is especially challenging when it comes to self-employed borrowers. The good news is many lenders have workarounds. Mortgage payoff demand statements, HOA documents, employment verifications subordination agreements are taking several weeks in some cases. Property access is a challenge when interior home inspections and interior appraisal inspections may be required."

"Mortgage companies largely do not have sufficient staffing to manage the current heavy refinance application volume. Working remotely creates additional delays and obstacles for underwriters and loan processors. Pre-funding employment verifications and still-in-business company verifications add that much more lender detective work."

From People."Kaley Cuoco has sold her Mediterranean-style villa in Tarzana, Calif., for $3.95 million after almost a year on the market. The actress, 34, first listed the private, gated home for $6.9 million in May 2019, just as the hit show came to an end after twelve seasons. After three months with no takers, she cut the price by over $2 million. The final sale price is $2.95 million (or about 42 percent) less than her original listing."

"Cuoco originally purchased the home from Khloé Kardashian for $5.5 million in 2014, according to Variety’s Dirt.com, meaning she lost over $1.5 million on the purchase."

From Realtor.com. "The singer and pianist Michael Feinstein has had a devil of a time trying to sell his grand mansion in Southern California. The golden-voiced singer initially listed his Tudor Revival-style mansion in the Los Feliz neighborhood in April 2018 for $26 million. As the months flew by, the classic residence popped on and off the market, with a number of price cuts. Two weeks ago, it reappeared on the market for $9,995,000—a staggering 62% off its original list price."