The Housing Bubble Blog

A report from the Lawton Constitution in Oklahoma. "For the first time in her 40 years as a realtor, Brenda Bentley is seeing sellers get well above asking price for their home. 'It’s been hard for sellers all these years,' Bentley said. 'This is the first time in my career, and I’ve been doing...

A weekend topic starting with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. "By using a database of over 100 publicly reported real estate money laundering cases in the U.S., United Kingdom and Canada, Global Financial Integrity says the U.S. has become a preferred destination for...

A weekend topic starting with Vice. "Zillow is doing a $450 million bond deal to get the money it needs. Opendoor went public to scale as quickly as it can. Even Rocket Homes is getting into the action. The race is on among tech firms to gobble up U.S. housing stock and dominate the increasingly...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Betsy Ronel, a licensed real estate salesperson with Compass in Westchester County, New York, said she believes the market will be in recovery mode for the foreseeable future. 'It’s a national issue, so things are stalled everywhere in some way,'...

A report from 5280 on Colorado. "For single-family homes, CEO of BSW Real Estate Bret Weinstein notes that Denver’s housing market seems to be slowing down and finally experience the seasonality we were used to before the pandemic. 'We’re finally reaching this point where we’re getting more...

A report from the Shawnee Mission Post in Kansas. "Full tilt. With no emergency brake. That’s how some have described the pace of the housing market in 2021. But with cooler fall air just around the corner, we are starting to feel an ever-so-subtle cooling in the housing market, too. Some sellers...

A report from the Record Courier. "A lack of inventory, low interest rates and eager buyers have sent Douglas County home prices into the stratosphere. Nevada Board of Realtors President Brad Spires said that the median price per square foot was $326. 'During 2010 that was under $100, so that...

A report from Geek Wire. "Redfin’s revenue jumped 121% to $471 million, and its net loss widened to $27.9 million from $6.6 million a year earlier. Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman also addressed the dynamics prompting Redfin to focus on growth over profits. What was driving the bidding wars: The only trend...

A weekend topic starting with Tulsa World in Oklahoma. "In August 2019, the median sale price of Tulsa homes was $165,000. That number has jumped nearly 34% to a median sale price of $221,000 in 2021, according to realtor.com. 'The buyer demand came out because interest rates were fantastic,' said...

A report from the Center Square on Colorado. "Denver’s housing market increased its inventory by nearly 30% last month, but experts say it won’t be enough to shift the market in favor of homebuyers. The average sale price of $625,000 represents a month-over-month decline of 2.4%, according to the...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "In Seattle, the median single-family home price of $896,500 is up about 11% from last July but down from a $919,000 peak in May. 'Buyers feel like they can be a little more choosy at this point,' said Ian Gordon, a broker at Coldwell Banker Bain’s...

A report from the Jackson Hole News and Guide in Wyoming. "'We do feel the feeding frenzy is over, said David Viehman, an associate broker at Engel&Volkers. 'And though we have some new inventory, we think a lot of the new inventory is overpriced. We’re just seeing things slow down. ... We’re...

A report from the Herald Net in Washington. "The local real estate market took a breather from about Father’s Day, June 20, to mid-July, said George Caudill, a long time agent in Lynnwood. 'It was snoozeville for a while.' On the supply side, there’s a glimmer of hope — the number of Puget...

A report from the Record Eagle in Michigan. "Andrew Dodson and his wife were able to secure a home near downtown Traverse City before the housing bubble expanded after the new year. Still, Andrew said their new home cost about $450,000. 'Since we’ve closed, I’ve followed the houses in the...

A report from KBTX in Texas. "Sales are booming in the Brazos Valley. Laura Walker’s been in the market since mid-May looking at homes for her parents. They’re retired and looking to move from North Carolina. 'I kind of had to re-evaluate my baseline and what I thought things were worth,' Walker...

A report from the Idaho Press. "In Ada County in 2016, there were 38 homes sold for $1 million or more. In 2020, that number was up to 314. There have already been 362 million-dollar homes sold in 2021, as of Wednesday. In June, the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service report showed signs of...

A weekend topic starting with the New York Times. "'It’s making me nervous that you’ve got this incipient housing bubble, with anecdotal reports backed up by a lot of the data,' James Bullard, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, said during a call with reporters Friday. He...

It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "The red-hot Houston housing market, which experienced a record-breaking run starting in the second half of 2020, has begun to cool, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. The volume of home sales has lagged behind year-earlier levels for...

A report from Mortgage Professional America. "Potential home buyers are being edged out of the house market because of high property prices, mortgage brokers have told MPA. Figures show that new home sales fell to the lowest level in more than a year, down by 19.4% compared to June 2020. Sales were...

A report from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader in South Dakota. "It’s a bit like Black Friday, but for homes instead of 72-inch TVs. Home buying is so competitive now that anyone looking has to plan ahead, down to their maximum offer. 'Maybe they’re approved for $300,000, and they offer $275,000 and...