A report from the Dallas Business Journal in Texas. "Real estate agents and others in the residential business say they have seen DFW transition over the last couple of months from a completely insane housing market to what's still a red-hot market, but more manageable. The Dallas Business Journal turned to josh Harley CEO of real estate brokerage Fathom Holdings. What are buyers and sellers to make of this mixed-up North Texas market? Is it down-shifting from overheated to merely robust? Are the days of over-the-top bidding wars behind us, or are they just taking a breather? 'It's softening but not soft, and it's not softening in a negative direction. It's softening in a positive direction.'"

From AZ Family in Arizona. "After seeing low inventory and skyrocketing prices, some Valley realtors said supply and demand is beginning to even out. Realtor Brandon LaVallee said more inventory, fewer offers and more availability for showings point to a market change. 'Inventory is up 92% since February, more houses for sale, more possibilities for buyers, it definitely shows the market is leveling out,' said LaVallee. 'Prices might not drop, but we will likely see a lot less of these 20, 30, 50 thousand dollars over asking price offers.'"

The Hawaii Tribune Herald. "'A lot of people are selling their expensive homes in Oahu or California and moving to cheaper places,' said Lucena Nicolas, founder of Pineapple Homes in Pahoa. 'You get people who are tired of paying a $4,000-a-month mortgage in Honolulu, and they decide to retire to the Big Island where it’s cheaper. And they’ll pay cash for a $200,000 home, even if it’s only worth $150,000.'"

"Of course, nothing lasts forever. There could be a new source of housing available in less than a month. 'We have so many houses ready to hit the market right now, but they can’t because the current tenants can’t be evicted,' Nicolas said."

From KRON 4 in California. "Some good news for home buyers, housing inventory is rising. Inventory rose by more than 3% across the United States for the second straight month in a row and that includes right here in the Bay Area. 'I think that wild west kind of market has settled down slightly, so I think we are seeing a better opportunity for buyers right now,' said realtor Jessica Lopez."

The Los Angeles Times. "Southern California’s real estate market hit another historic peak in June, hough analysts see the extreme bidding wars of the last year beginning to ease. With more houses steadily being listed for sale, Compass agent Brent Chang said he thinks the historic seller’s market could calm down before the end of the year. 'With every new article that comes out about how great the market is for sellers, a new wave of homeowners put their houses on the market. One agent I know is listing five properties a week,' he said."

"As for buyers, he thinks everyone who’s willing to overpay for a house already has, so the surge of bidding wars might slow down in the next few months. 'If you don’t have to buy now, why would you buy now?' he asked. 'Inventory is growing, but the buyer pool is staying the same. That equates to lower sales prices.'"

From CBS Miami in Florida. "After the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, people who live in condominiums have grown more concerned about the state of their own buildings. Such is the case for Miami Beach resident Mario Juarez who spoke to CBS4. He said his building is exhibiting many of the same signs Champlain Towers South had before it came crashing down and he now has trouble sleeping at night."

"'We use to see Champlain Towers South right there, who would have thought that building would collapse and that pretty much has us worried because that building, when you looked at it, when you compare it with this one, this is worst in any condition, in every single condition, in every single sense,' stressed Juarez."

"According to a recent engineer report, Harding Hall is badly in need of repairs. Its balconies have deteriorated to a point where no one is allowed on them. Its pool is leaking and there is a sinkhole in the garage. The garage also floods every time it rains. The building also has exposed rebar and cracks in the support beams. Juarez said he not only fears for his life but for his investment. 'This building needs to be repaired and that has taken priority over any enjoyment we can have in this apartment,' he said."

The Brampton Guardian in Canada. "The chorus of economists and experts warning of a housing bubble in Toronto and its surrounding regions is growing. 'The biggest domestic vulnerabilities are those linked to imbalances in the housing market and high household indebtedness. These are not new, but they have intensified because of the very unusual circumstance caused by the pandemic,' said BOC governor Tiff Macklem during his FSR news conference. 'The increased issuance of mortgages with high loan-to-income ratios is of most concern … It’s important to understand that the rapid increases in home prices are not normal.'"

"Not everyone agrees the GTA and Canada are in a housing bubble, such as one of Canada’s largest real-estate firms, RE/MAX. 'There are a number of factors that indicate we’re not experiencing a bubble caused by market speculators, contrary to some media reports,' said the company."

From CKPG Today in Canada. "The housing market is hot right now in Prince George. These high prices combined with homes averaging less than two months on the market before being sold, has brought up concerns about a housing bubble. Local experts say that’s not a concern here in the north. 'It’s not like the housing is coming on and it’s sitting there, it’s selling. Who’s buying it? Not nearly as much speculation, mostly the people buying it are living in it. It’s not like areas of Vancouver… when you’re driving down the street, there are areas in Richmond and Burnaby, where one house in five doesn’t have its lights on cause nobody’s in it. It’s a speculation buy,' said Charles Scott, Faculty Member UNBC School of Business."

From Domain News. "Almost a third of Australians say they face mortgage or rental stress amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with household savings also taking a hit in recent months. Against a backdrop of rapidly rising property prices and record-high rents across much of the country, 31 per cent of people are struggling to make their rent or home loan payments, new figures show."

"While this is down slightly from 33 per cent of renters and home owners in June, it’s well up on the 23 per cent of respondents who reported rent or home loan stress in July last year. The Finder Consumer Sentiment Tracker shows stress levels had been rising steadily since. People overextending themselves to keep up with rising property prices could also be a factor for increased mortgage stress, particularly among recent first-home buyers, as could recent increases in rates for fixed mortgages."

"The Financial Rights Legal Centre, which offers advice and advocacy for those in financial stress, is consistently getting calls daily from those in mortgage stress, said senior police and communications officer Julia Davis. 'They are often referrals from the banks, people who were on a COVID-related [mortgage] deferral during 2020 … and all those deferrals have come to an end, and people are not in a position to go back to resuming normal repayments.'"

"AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver also expressed concern that the 60,000 government loan scheme spots – which help first-home buyers and single parents to get into the market with lower deposits – could cause higher mortgage stress levels down the line. While it was desirable to help these groups onto the property ladder, he said there was a danger in more people borrowing at a very high loan to value ratio."

From Reuters. "Shares and bonds of China Evergrande, the country's most indebted developer, stayed in the red on Tuesday as worries over its financial health persisted even after a local housing authority removed an earlier sales suspension at two real estate projects. Evergrande's Hong Kong-listed shares tumbled as much as 19% to a fresh four-year low in morning trading, following Monday's 16% plunge, after the housing authority in Shaoyang city in south central Hunan province ordered a sales halt for the two residential projects."

"The authority had ordered the suspension on suspicion over a misappropriation of funds, according to separate notices dated July 14. But in a reversal on Tuesday, it said the issue had been resolved and the two developments could resume sales. 'Evergrande's external financing is restricted, so its debt repayment relies heavily on property sales,' Everbright Securities analyst Zhang Xu wrote."

"'The housing situation in China is quite political because it becomes an affordability issue and a matter of social cohesion,' said Carlos Casanova, senior economist for Asia at Union Bancaire Privee. The government will continue to keep curbs in place, 'so we are going to see more defaults.' Last week, Chinese real estate developer Sichuan Languang Development said it had overdue debts totalling 4.54 billion yuan. China Fortune Land Development Co, which defaulted earlier this year, said on Tuesday that its overdue debts had increased to 73.2 billion yuan."