The Housing Bubble Blog

A weekend topic starting with KERA. "If you don’t make more than $100,000 per year, you can’t afford to buy a median-priced home in three of Texas’ largest metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth, greater Houston, and the Austin area. That’s one of several findings from a new Harvard University study of the...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Coshocton County is low on housing in a lot of key areas with a need for more construction. Phil Hunt recently sold his mother's condominium, part of The Oaks subdivision, after she moved to an assisted living facility. Hunt said they purposely set...

A report from the Indianapolis Star. "A single-family house in central Indiana sold at an average of $315,000 in May, according to Annie Caruso, president of the MIBOR Realtor Association. Active inventory in central Indiana has increased nearly 17% from 2023. Indiana Association of Realtors...

A report from WVUE. "Many Louisianans are feeling the pain of soaring homeowners insurance premiums, and there are projections things could worsen. Cheron Brylski has had enough. When Brylski and her husband moved into their 3,400-square foot home on Coliseum Street in Uptown New Orleans nearly 30...

A report from the American Statesman in Texas. "Housing supply in Central Texas reached its highest level in 13 years in May, the Austin Board of Realtors said. The median closing price last month was $608,438, up 11.6% from the year-ago May. The all-time record for the median home-sales price in...

A report from the Wall Street Journal. "Board members of the Highland Park Community Association in Mission Viejo, Calif., braced last year for a rise in insurance costs. Yet they were still shocked to receive a quote for over $170,000, which was more than four times what the association paid in...

A report from the Oklahoman. "Downtown housing prices are soaring in Oklahoma City to an extent that they have more than doubled over the past decade. The Property Shark report cautions the housing price growth is not entirely good news. 'Locals are starting to feel the pressure of population...

A report from Axios. "Metro Denver's housing scene is finding its equilibrium as more homes hit the market, but many buyers aren't budging. The slow spring selling season is stumping local realtors, who predicted a year ago that a boost in inventory would bring buyers back. 'We are not seeing that...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Fewer existing houses are selling in Southern Nevada and homebuilders are offering more incentives to get buyers into new homes. Lennar did acknowledge in a first quarter earnings call that the U.S. economy is making it very difficult for the...

A report from CBS News. "When Joy Sharp built a new home in the small coastal community of Wilmington, North Carolina, about eight years ago, her homeowners insurance cost was a relatively modest $1,400. That was then. 'Now I've been given renewal rates of $6,000,' Sharp, 39, herself an insurance...

A report from ABC Action News in Florida. "After years of a scorching hot housing market, a new report labels the Tampa region as one of the fastest-cooling housing markets in the country. North Port came in first place, followed by Tampa and Cape Coral. In fact, six Florida cities rounded up the...

A report from the Arizona Republic. "When Phoenix leaders set a goal to create or save 50,000 houses in a decade to improve home affordability, the Housing Director at the time questioned if it could be done. Four years later, the city is 80% of the way to its target and likely to surpass its goal...

A report from the Oklahoman. "The number of sellers putting homes on the market was greater than the increase in buyers, and April ended with an inventory of 3,342 homes listed for sale with Realtors, nearly 50% more than a year ago. Josh Gonzalez had invested in houses to renovate and sell quickly...

A report from Bisnow. "On the heels of probes by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and federal regulators, the country’s most active mortgage brokerage is moving to shore up its standards with a new hire. Meridian Capital Group has appointed Melissa Martinez, previously at real estate intelligence firm...

A weekend topic starting with WTSP. "The ongoing property insurance crisis in Florida took center stage Wednesday on Capitol Hill. 'Our proposed renewal for 2023 was more than $8,000,' testified Tallahassee resident Deborah Wood, going on to describe the impact spiking insurance costs have had on...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Many Southwest Florida condo owners are in trouble financially as they face thousands of dollars in special assessments. There is a rush of people putting their condos up for sale, and buyers are shying away. North Fort Myers residents in the...

A report from Deseret News. "According to Realtor.com’s monthly housing market trends report, the number of homes actively for sale grew in May for the seventh month in a row, growing by 35.2% since this time last year. The metro areas that had the most inventory growth over the past year were...

A report from Honolulu Civil Beat. "When the Peninsula at Hawaii Kai condo community got news of its insurance bill for 2024, the condo owners were in for an unpleasant surprise. The association’s premium was going up almost tenfold, to $3.3 million from less than $400,000, said Kris Hanselman, an...

A report from Barron's. "Austin, Texas, is seeing some of the nation’s steepest price declines for luxury homes, coupled with a growing supply of listings. With more properties to choose from, buyers are much more discerning and have little patience for pie-in-the-sky home prices, said Bridget...

A report from the Idaho Statesman. "Take a spin through Eagle and it’s easy enough to see a changing city. Fresh, new homes dot neighborhoods, while empty dirt and sand-filled lots promise more incoming growth in town. But building permits are slowing. 'Developers) are still putting applications...