The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the Orange County Register in California. "Chapman University economist Jim Doti sees no housing bubble to burst in Orange County. He explains that local housing prices — easily double national benchmarks — are 'economically rationale given the county’s higher median income, amenities...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "An Upper East Side townhouse that was once home to the late fashion designer Oleg Cassini is now facing foreclosure. The case comes as authorities orchestrate a fire sale of Cassini’s assets. Earlier this week, Doyle Auctions announced a sale of the...

A report from CBC News in Canada. "When the market was hot, people lined up overnight to get their hands on pre-sale condominiums. Now that the housing market in B.C.'s Lower Mainland has cooled, some buyers are trying to back out of their contracts — unable to obtain the financing they need. A...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "Companies such as Opendoor aim to bring Wall Street-style efficiencies and Silicon Valley software to the housing business. Zillow came to Phoenix last spring to test its own computer-driven flipping strategy. In May 2018, Zillow bought its first house for...

A report from Bow Valley Crag and Canyon in Canada. "The list of headwinds is many for the city’s new homes market. Veteran housing analyst Dave LaRose notes he surveys new builders’ salespeople and is hearing anecdotally about prospective buyers making low-ball offers, some even asking an...

A report from My Sun Coast in Florida. "Some possible bad news for Florida homeowners right now. Florida is seeing more foreclosures than all but two other states. Last month was up 23-percent over May of 2018. Loan officer David McLaughlin says one of the contributing factors to foreclosures is...

A report from the Daily Mail on Australia. "Australia's biggest property markets are still in free fall - with prices in one major city falling by more than 10 per cent in one year. Median house prices fell in every capital city during the March quarter, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed....

A report from the Wall Street Journal on New York. "Stock investors are dumping shares of community banks with big real-estate lending businesses that could suffer from New York’s stricter apartment-rent regulations. Since property values are often based on the ability to raise rents, valuations...

A report from Sonoma News in California. "Build 3.5 million new dwelling units by 2025 and California’s housing shortage will be solved, Gov. Gavin Newsom prescribed during his campaign last year and several times since. But the simple formulae peddled by many state politicians may not hold water."...

A report from the Wall Street Journal on China. "Chinese regulators made fresh attempts to calm frayed nerves in the country’s financial sector, as bank liquidity remained tight by some measures three weeks after authorities took over a struggling city lender. On Sunday, securities regulators...

A report from Bank Rate. "Homebuyers sitting on the sidelines waiting for housing prices to backslide might be waiting longer than expected, according to experts. Although the high price of housing in many parts of the country seems to signal a possible bubble, the usual signs — like oversupply, an...

A report from the Post and Courier in South Carolina. "A slew of new apartments opening in the Charleston market this year will lead to a rise in the vacancy rate, the highest in the state. About 4,100 new units are expected in the Charleston area this year. Columbia will see 500 new apartments,...

A weekend topic starting with the Globe and Mail in Canada. "There was a time when Vancouverites never gave any thought to the meaning of a condo that had no one living in it. But too many dark windows got people wondering, and it inspired urban planner Andy Yan to start asking questions." "It’s...

A report from King 5 News in Washington. "KING 5 interviewed five local economists, some who specialize in real estate and others in academia. They weighed in on the possibility of another housing bubble and on the likelihood of a buyer's market in the near future. Are we in another bubble?" "The...

A report from the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina. "The Winston-Salem metropolitan statistical area experienced a sharp year-over-year increase in foreclosure filings during May, according to Attom Data Solutions. The five-county region had 187 filings, up 16.9% from a year ago and up 25.5%...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "What do these latest developments in Jamaica and Flushing mean for the rest of Queens? 'What we’re seeing is a shift in the market. We’re starting to see inventory building up, days on market increasing, pricing is good,' said Donna Rubertone,...

A report from Realtor.com. "'Overall, the slowdown is taking over across the board, and it’s concentrated in the South and West—that’s where the supply has been depleted,' says Javier Vivas, director of economic research for realtor.com." The Mortgage Reports. "There are 10 markets that are...

A report from the Canadian Press. "The Toronto area’s spring real estate market typically begins winding down in June. Andre Kutyan of Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd. recommends that sellers set a price based on what comparable properties have sold for, not what neighbouring properties are asking....

A report from USA Today. "In a stealth aftershock of the Great Recession, nearly 100,000 loans that allowed senior citizens to tap into their home equity have failed, blindsiding elderly borrowers and their families and dragging down property values in their neighborhoods. Leroy Roebuck, 86, rode...

A report from Inman News. "Overall delinquency rates have risen somewhat in 42 percent of the country. Panama City, Florida and Albany, Georgia saw some of the highest rises in serious delinquency rates, or payments that are due by more than 90 days, across the country. According to CoreLogic, such...