The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia. "A small group of private certifiers have signed off on 130 buildings with compliance problems, including allowing residents to move into one property that did not have toilets or taps fitted. The role of private certifiers in the state's...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "Inflated bond ratings were one cause of the financial crisis. A decade later, there is evidence they persist. In the hottest parts of the booming bond market, S&P and its competitors are giving increasingly optimistic ratings as they fight for market...

A press release from Redfin. "Eleven percent of offers nationwide faced a bidding war in July, down from more than 45 percent a year earlier, according to Redfin. The national bidding war rate hasn't surpassed 15 percent since November 2018, after falling steadily from a peak of 59 percent in March...

An editorial from the Merced County Times in California. "Lest anyone forgot, Merced was the poster-child for the American sub-prime mortgage nightmare (2007-2010). In the end, Merced housing and commercial real estate collapsed with some of the highest foreclosure rates and family displacements in...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "After a sluggish end to 2018, real-estate investment trusts are showing promise again. 'When we look at these companies, we’re seeing what we would hope to see, which are well-capitalized businesses that aren’t making big speculative bets,' says Todd...

Two reports from the Globe and Mail in Canada. "A drop in the number of low-rise houses under construction in the Toronto region has led to job cuts for workers who specialize in home-building trades. The number of detached and semi-detached houses under construction in the Toronto region fell...

A report from Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii. "What will be the effect of Honolulu’s vacation rental Bill 89? There are four possible scenarios for an owner: They can take the unit off the market, rent it long term, sell the unit or try to illegally continue renting the unit. All of these...

A report from the Dallas Morning News in Texas. "At this stage of the economic cycle, it’s natural to wonder about a recession or a housing bubble. But take some comfort in the latest results from D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder. Horton is on pace to close almost 57,000 homes this...

A report from the Home Buying Institute on California. "Last month, we reported on the situation in San Jose. House values in that California city are dropping steadily. But the 'damage' is not limited to that one housing market alone. Similar trends are occurring throughout the region. There’s no...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "People are moving all over the Tall City which is causing a housing market shift. Midland real estate agent Jeaneen Pruitt said Midland real estate is all about supply and demand and right now, there is a lot of supply. 'The oil and gas industry is...

A report from Bloomberg on Australia. "Signs are strengthening that Australia’s two-year property slump is over, with house prices eking out a small gain last month. Home values rose 0.1% in the combined state and territory capitals in July, CoreLogic data showed. Sydney and Melbourne, with prices...

A report from Forbes. "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) warned of potential credit and market risks that market participants should definitely heed. In particular, the FDIC’s 2019 Risk Review Report released yesterday highlighted concerns in the agricultural, commercial real estate,...

A report from the Oregonian. "A condominium building under construction near the Lloyd District has switched to rental apartments weeks before its scheduled opening. The developer of the Twenty Twenty building chalked up the switch to a softer real-estate market that had emerged in the two years...

A report from the Longmont Times-Call in Colorado. "Even as data shows Boulder and its surroundings are experiencing a 'much-needed' housing market correction, the city last week for the fifth straight year landed atop a national finance researcher’s list of top residential real estate environments...

A report from Colorado Community Media. "The Denver area’s real estate boom that saw rents and housing prices skyrocket in recent years is slowing down, experts say. Price reductions are becoming more common, Schafer said Jill Schafer, the head of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors’ Market...

A report from the Jamaica Observer. "Real Estate Broker, Anya Levy, is cautioning financial institutions about irresponsible lending. Levy pointed to one mortgage institution, which she did not name, which is offering mortgages of 110 per cent a reckless undertaking in her view as this is...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "New York’s high-rise developers may soon lose a popular source of cheap funding. U.S. immigration authorities published on Wednesday a new rule that will make it tougher for real-estate developers to fund their projects through a program known as EB-5. 'It’s...

A report from Forbes. "Knock’s 'top ten markets with the most current listings predicted to sell below original list prices' include in descending order Miami, Chicago, Hartford, Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, Pittsburgh, New York, Jacksonville, and St. Louis. In Miami, a 2,050 square feet...

A report from CNBC. "Last year, about 43,000 single-family homes were built for rent, the largest number in nearly 40 years according to National Association of Home Builders analysis of U.S. Census data. The built-for-rent share of housing starts is also rising, nearly double its recent historical...

A report from the Marin Independent Journal in California. "Marin’s slump in sales was mirrored throughout the Bay Area. CoreLogic said. Across the Bay Area, sales fell 12.6% in June. The region’s median home price in June was $855,000, down 2.3% from $875,000 a year earlier. CoreLogic said the Bay...