The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the San Francisco Chronicle in California. "HubHaus, a venture-backed startup in the burgeoning new field of 'dorms for grownups,' has imploded, stranding hundreds of renters and homeowners, mainly in the Bay Area. The 4-year-old Los Altos company, which had raised $13.4 million, is...

A report from Bloomberg. "It was considered one of the root causes of the global financial crisis, and regulators have spent over a decade trying to stamp the practice out. Yet Kroll Bond Rating Agency Inc.’s $2 million fine this week shows how in the securitized-debt market, the battle against...

A weekend topic starting with Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii. "Since the pandemic began, veterans and service members have been utilizing Department of Veterans Affairs home loans at historically high rates. Dropping prices and legislation that loosened restrictions on VA home loans have both...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. San Francisco saw the biggest year-over-year drop in rental costs in September, but Boston wasn’t far behind, according to Zumper. The median price for a one-bedroom apartment in the City by the Bay was $2,830 in...

A report from Seattle PI in Washington. "Seattle condos are breaking records – well, it is not necessarily a good thing. Politics, protesting, poor city governance and the Coronavirus-epidemic have all contributed to a 130% increase in Seattle condos for sale in the Downtown core. We now how the...

A report from the Port Charlotte Sun in Florida. "Matthew Harden turned himself in to law enforcement Monday in Hamilton County, Florida. Harden, 53, and his partner Stephen Dukes, 47, owned the now-defunct HD Custom Homes in Englewood. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office detectives issued warrants...

A report from Kelowna Now in Canada. "Canada's most expensive rental markets in Toronto and Vancouver continue to report a downward trajectory in prices. Toronto's one and two-bedroom prices are down 10% and 12%, respectively, since this time last year. Meanwhile, Vancouver’s one-bedroom rent has...

A report from Bankrate. "You’ve listed your home at what you both believe is an accurate price, and you’ve hosted many showings, but so far, no one has made an offer. So why hasn’t your home sold? 'Pricing is usually the reason,' explains Gordy Marks, managing broker at RE/MAX Northwest in...

A report from CNBC on California. "Greg Tribulato is having trouble getting buyers interested in two extensively renovated condominiums he’s trying to sell in San Francisco’s Mission district. They’ve been on the market for three months. The one with two bedrooms is going for $1.5 million, and the...

A weekend topic on this Globe and Mail article. "Condo owner Brock Worobel says he is feeling extremely uneasy living at 53 West Hastings, near Vancouver’s downtown east side. Mr. Worobel purchased his condo in the six-storey Paris Block, just west of Carrall Street, nine years ago. It is an...

A report from Danielle DiMartino Booth at Bloomberg. "The Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed numerous unexpected economic consequences. One that has turned out to be good for the economy but could end up being disastrous is the boom in mortgage refinancings. Just like with the last financial crisis,...

A weekend topic starting with Bloomberg. "Regional players New York Community Bancorp Inc. and Signature Bank are becoming a case study for potential trouble from a sudden downturn in the Big Apple’s property sector, and their share prices are suffering. With retail and apartment vacancies rising...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "The good news for buyers is that inventory is rising in places such as Arlington County and Alexandria, up 39% and 38% respectively compared to a year ago. 'We’re seeing huge increases in inventory in some areas in Northern Virginia,' said Larry...

A report from AZ Big Media in Arizona. "William Gray, former president of the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business, said the homebuying market has 'been going gangbusters' since the beginning of the summer. 'One of the little problems we have in Gilbert is the median price of a home is...

A report from Arlington Now in Virginia. "This week’s key figure is… 20 percent. During the last week, we’ve seen approximately a 20 percent increase in local listings spanning single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. Spin it however you’d like folks, but the bottom line is that there’s a...

A report from Bisnow. "Landlords are under pressure, and optimism is in short supply among mom-and-pops and midsized owners. 'It's a dire situation,' MassLandlords Executive Director Douglas Quattrochi said. 'Landlords are also dipping into their savings. I've talked to many folks who are seniors,...

A report from the Toronto Sun in Canada. "For the first time in a very long while, you’re hearing talk of a return to a 'balanced market' in which there is sufficient supply to meet demand. This isn’t something that you’re broadly seeing yet in the freehold market, though there are certainly some...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "Debt didn’t present a major problem before the coronavirus. The job market was booming and median household incomes were rising, allowing families to keep up with payments. Terri Smith, 64, said her job analyzing legal expenses for her employer was eliminated...

Two reports from the Globe and Mail in Canada. "The summer of economic recovery is fading away, replaced by a season of growing uncertainty as the weight of tens of billions of dollars in deferred debts bears down on consumers and businesses. Harsh decisions that have been postponed will have to be...

A weekend topic starting with the Los Angeles Times. "The Luxe Rodeo Drive is the first high-end hotel in the Los Angeles area to go out of business because of the pandemic, and industry experts point to an unusually high loan delinquency rate among hotel borrowers as a sign that more closures are...