The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from NBC News. "By the time many homeowners realize they need flood insurance, it’s too late. And for tens of thousands in North Carolina and across the Southeast, it’s too late. Only about 2% of residences in the 100 counties hit hardest by Hurricane Helene-related power outages were...

A report from the Associated Press. "In the days after Helene razed much of western North Carolina, some store owners in downtown Boone have a lot of cleanup to do and don't know if they'll see much business at all for the foreseeable future — a critical problem for a town of about 19,000 people...

A report from the Wall Street Journal on Florida. "The Tampa Bay housing market had been softening even before Helene struck. About half the homes listed for sale in Tampa experienced price reductions as of Sept. 9, the third highest share of all U.S. major metropolitan areas. Dustin Pentz bought...

A report from News 4 San Antonio in Texas. "According to a new study, homes put up for sale in San Antonio over the summer are taking longer to sell, compared to last year. 'The market just isn't as red hot as it used to be,' said Thomas Tunstall, Senior Director for Research at the UTSA Institute...

A report from the Scottsdale Progress in Arizona. "August brought dog days to the Scottsdale housing market. Pending sales plummeted year-over-year by 37.4% and new listings edged down 4.4% in the same time period, according to Phoenix Realtors. 'At the end of the month, housing inventory was up...

A weekend topic starting with WTMJ in Wisconsin. "Lou Ann Brandstetter moved into her new home Thursday, which she bought sight unseen to beat out the competition. She learned about the home in Waterford from some good friends in the neighborhood and made an offer within 24 hours. 'I know I had to...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Realtors predict the market is about to take a turn and Triangle's housing market could be booming once again. But they don't expect to see a repeat of the COVID craze when some sellers were demanding high due diligence numbers. 'That was a...

A report from the Tahlequah Daily Press in Oklahoma. "The cost of homes in Cherokee County has risen 54% since 2019, knocking many first-time homebuyers out of the market. People moving in from out of state are paying higher than what properties are worth, and it raises the market price and...

A report from Business Insider on Texas. "A couple of years into the COVID-19 pandemic, a California state flag appeared on a front porch near my parents' home in suburban Austin. The flag is gone now, and so is the gold rush. Home prices and asking rents in Austin are down significantly from a...

A report from WPTV in Florida. "A condo owner from Stuart is turning to WPTV to help her efforts to bring condo associations together from the Treasure Coast to Palm Beach County. Darlene VanRiper is a resident at Harborage Condos and on the board of the building's condominium association. VanRiper...

A report from ABC Action News. "As state leaders grapple with solutions to the looming condo crisis in Florida, several people wrote in to ABC Action News over rising fees and special assessments they’re facing. It's hard to beat the picture-perfect views from Al Winsser's home. He's owned his...

A report from the Miami Herald in Florida. "A planned condo project just a few blocks from South Beach caught the attention of Jose Maria Carmona and his wife. Using most of their nest egg, the Argentine couple signed contracts with the Miami Beach project’s developer in 2022 and paid in full for...

A weekend topic starting with the Globe and Mail. "Jerome Powell and his colleagues at the U.S. Federal Reserve placed their bets this week with an oversized half-point cut to interest rates. Amid considerable uncertainty about the direction of the economy, they put their faith in a Goldilocks...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Ada County’s median home price last month was $20,000 less than August of 2023. Housing inventory for Ada County was 1,863, which is 21.8% higher than August 2023, and Canyon County’s inventory was at 1,152, or 42.6% higher than the previous year....

A report from the Review Journal in Nevada. "Jonathan Catalano, a real estate agent with ERA Brokers Consolidated in Las Vegas, said they have yet to see the translation of mortgage rates dropping close to a percentage point. 'Even with the lower rates, buyers however, haven’t seemed to react. In...

A report from Boston.com in Massachusetts. "'With buyers now fewer and farther between than what we saw this spring, it’s a less competitive market and that’s resulted in some softening in prices,' said Jared Wilk, GBAR president. 'In today’s market, we’re seeing fewer multiple offer situations,...

A report from CBS News. "Five years ago, one in three American families could afford a starter home in 63 of America's largest 100 cities, CBS News found. Now, it's down to just 10 cities. Felicia Ellis is actively looking to buy her first home by the end of the year. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom...

A report from WUFS. "Last Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis called on lawmakers to do something before the 2025 legislative session to address the crisis facing condominium owners. But Florida Rep. Vicki Lopez doesn’t feel the pressure of convening a special session on condos before the end of the calendar...

A report from Fox 13 Tampa Bay. "Lawmakers came together Saturday to find solutions to Florida's home insurance crisis and discuss the impact climate change has had on the problem. During big storms like Idalia and Tropical Storm Eta as well as Debby the Shore Acres neighborhood in St. Pete saw...

A report from WUSA 9. "In a major victory for homebuyers, a DC Court of Appeals judge ruled that the District can be held liable for substandard housing purchased through government assistance programs. The decision comes after six Black female low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers sued...