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Housing Market Watch
Housing Market Watch
Original articles, reports, and analysis about the current state of the US housing market.
Most Recent
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Apr 30, 2008 --
When it comes to home prices, location matters. Consider this: a $210,000 home in Atlanta, GA would be worth $1.4 million in Beverly Hills. The same home would be worth $509,000 in Washington D.C. and $207,000 in Phoenix. Find out how much homes might be worth in different cities in this home price comparison.
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Apr 25, 2008 --
An open letter to lawmakers and taxpayers who think a mortgage bailout is what we need to solve the housing crisis.
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Apr 13, 2008 --
A national survey found that Stamford, Connecticut has most expensive rents among other U.S. cities. Residents need a household wage of $31.58 to afford fair market rent on a two-bedroom rental unit. Find out which other metro areas and states have high housing costs.
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Apr 09, 2008 --
To get borrowers to leave a house--and leave it in good condition--mortgage lenders around the nation have begun offering cash for keys. Some lenders are paying out upwards of $3,000.
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Apr 03, 2008 --
Democrats and Republicans are working on a new measure inappropriately named The Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008. The legislation is being billed as help for homeowners, but homebuilders and the mortgage industry are the true beneficiaries.
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Mar 27, 2008 --
The National Association of Realtors keeps working overtime to convince consumers that the housing market is starting to turn around. What's worse is that some media outlets are buying the story and passing it on to people who are looking for real news.
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Mar 21, 2008 --
Which cities are the most expensive ones to live in and to visit? Which are the cheapest? The answers might surprise you.
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Mar 15, 2008 --
Democrats unveiled a new plan last week that will allow the FHA to buy $300 billion in delinquent, underwater mortgages. The initial cost to taxpayers is estimated to be $20 billion.
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Mar 07, 2008 --
The worst housing slump since the Great Depression is prompting all manner of new bailout plans. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke encourages banks to forgive portions of mortgage debt, the Democrats propose using billions in federal dollars on buying up bad loans, and the Bush Administration is prepared to dump bank losses on the taxpayers' shoulders.
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Feb 28, 2008 --
The new home price data released this week shows a historic drop in home prices. The negative declines are eating into equity across the country. An estimated 30 percent of U.S. homeowners are expected to be underwater by 2008.
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Feb 21, 2008 --
Borrowers who were guilty of defrauding lenders by lying on their mortgage applications could be imprisoned for up to 30 year terms and forced to pay $1 million in fines under current federal laws. The FBI, however, says that they do not intend to pursue borrowers at this time.
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Feb 15, 2008 --
Even celebs are feeling the pinch as with the worsening housing downturn. Some
are actually facing foreclosure and may lose their homes to the subprime mortgage crisis. See which stars are losing in the real estate market here.
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Feb 08, 2008 --
The officially passed stimulus plan will cross President Bush's desk this month. But before you get too excited about the bribe you will receive sometime in May or June, you should know that you are about to buy into one of the most fraudulent and devious plans in U.S. history.
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Jan 31, 2008 --
Should mortgage borrowers at risk of losing their home be given a bailout? What about lenders who face lost profits? Four recent polls ask Americans where they stand on these issues.
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Jan 28, 2008 --
What price should you be paying for a home? It's easy to calculate if you can see how median home prices and median incomes correlate.
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Apr 30, 2008 --
When it comes to home prices, location matters. Consider this: a $210,000 home in Atlanta, GA would be worth $1.4 million in Beverly Hills. The same home would be worth $509,000 in Washington D.C. and $207,000 in Phoenix. Find out how much homes might be worth in different cities in this home price comparison.
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Mar 27, 2008 --
The National Association of Realtors keeps working overtime to convince consumers that the housing market is starting to turn around. What's worse is that some media outlets are buying the story and passing it on to people who are looking for real news.
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Feb 28, 2008 --
The new home price data released this week shows a historic drop in home prices. The negative declines are eating into equity across the country. An estimated 30 percent of U.S. homeowners are expected to be underwater by 2008.
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Jan 25, 2008 --
In a misguided attempt to address mortgage industry problems, Bush's stimulus plan will include a provision to up Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's loan limits. This dangerous initiative could leave taxpayers on the hook for billions (possibly trillions) of dollars.
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Jan 21, 2008 --
Although a well-known mortgage trade group is insisting that mortgage lenders are doing all they can to help struggling borrowers, consumer advocates say that the industry could be working much harder. A new report supports this statement and shows that the loan modifications that are being made aren't working.
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Jan 09, 2008 --
The U.S. government is working to develop a few different programs that are meant to stave off foreclosures. Policymakers may claim that these programs are for struggling mortgage borrowers, it's obvious that their real goal is to bail out the mortgage lenders. The question is: do reckless lenders deserve to be rescued?
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Jan 08, 2008 --
Many people may be losing their homes to foreclosure because of legitimate financial crises, but there are even more people losing their homes because of lender follies as well as their own greed and stupidity. Here are five stories in particular that will be sure to induce fits of eye-rolling.
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Jan 04, 2008 --
If you have followed the news at all over the last few months, then you know that the public has been spoon fed a spate of tearjerker news stories that are meant to paint struggling mortgage borrowers as victims. These stories talk about the importance of staving off foreclosures and helping people who need it, but they very rarely touch on the truth of the matter: most mortgage borrowers were reckless and do not deserved to be rescued.
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Dec 19, 2007 --
The government is so intent on treating the symptoms of the most recent housing market debacle that they are failing to address the actual root of the problem: home prices.
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Dec 17, 2007 --
The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Friday that will expand the capabilities of the Federal Housing Administration. The bill will loosen underwriting standards and raise the limits on loans. Although this legislation is supported in certain circles, critics call it a threat to taxpayers.
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Dec 13, 2007 --
The recent rise and fall of the U.S. housing market is not that different from Japan's multi-decade housing crash. We'll compare the two bubbles here and see if there is anything that the U.S. can and should learn from Japan's fallacies.
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Dec 10, 2007 --
President Bush announced a plan last week to freeze interest rates on subprime loans due for rate resets. Read on to get the details of this plan, including how it works, why it has been initiated and whom it will help.
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Dec 06, 2007 --
A new poll conducted by the National Taxpayers Union shows that Americans have varying opinions on proposed plans to bail out subprime borrowers. Survey respondents weighed in on whether or not government intervention is necessary and who would benefit most from a taxpayer-funded bailout.
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Nov 20, 2007 --
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market suffered another blow in October as home sales fell to the lowest level on record and prices continued to decline. Areas documenting negative home price appreciation included Solano, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
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Nov 07, 2007 --
Foreclosure filings were at an all time high in August and September. Foreclosures increased 300 percent during the third quarter in a year-over-year comparison, with Nevada, California, and Florida posting top foreclosure rates.
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Oct 29, 2007 --
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market set yet more records during the month of September. Homes sold at the slowest pace seen in two decades and foreclosure activity was higher than ever.
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Oct 24, 2007 --
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their monthly existing home sale report today. The mainstream media picked up the story, but they missed a few important details.
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Sep 25, 2007 --
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market is showing serious signs of distress. During the month of August, home sales plummeted, median prices were up and down and foreclosures skyrocketed. The most depressed areas seem to be Contra Costa County, Solano County and Sonoma County.
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Sep 14, 2007 --
According to foreclosure numbers recently released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the United States is embroiled in the worst foreclosure crisis it has faced in its history. Over 14% of subprime borrowers are defaulting, and now it appears that many prime borrowers are beginning to follow suit.
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Sep 01, 2007 --
Real estate continued to be a losing venture for many San Francisco Bay Area homeowners and housing market professionals during the month of July. Homes sold at the slowest pace since 1995, with the rate of sales falling throughout the nine county region with the exception of San Francisco. Median prices also dropped, with the biggest declines recorded in Solano and Sonoma Counties.
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Aug 17, 2007 --
According to a recent survey by the Federal Reserve, getting a mortgage loan isn't as easy as it used to be. Banks who participated in the survey say they have tightened their standards dramatically.
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Aug 08, 2007 --
Renovating your home while you live in it or prior to selling it can be a profitable venture as long as you undertake the right home improvement projects. Here are 10 renovations that will allow you to recoup most of your investment.
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Aug 03, 2007 --
Real estate reality television shows are everywhere these days. Each show has a slightly different premise, but nearly all of them have one thing in common: happy endings. Do these TV programs showcase the true reality of the housing market?
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Jul 25, 2007 --
Home sales declined once again in the San Francisco Bay Area over the month of June. According to the most recent reports, homes sold at their slowest pace for 12 years, and prices have begun to dip as well. Markets that performed the worst last month include those in Napa County, Solano County, and Sonoma County.
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Jun 20, 2007 --
Slow home sales, rising foreclosures, and falling prices continued to plague the San Francisco Bay Area throughout the month of May. Housing markets seeing the most turmoil are located in Contra Costa County, Napa County, and Solano County, but virtually no market in the nine-county region has experienced improvement since the bust.
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Jun 07, 2007 --
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market continued its downward spiral during the beginning of the second quarter. Home sales dropped dramatically through the nine-county region and prices remained stagnant.
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Apr 25, 2007 --
The housing market in the San Francisco Bay Area continued to struggle in the month of March. Home sales were at the lowest level since 1996, with Solano and Contra Costa Counties seeing declines of more than 30 percent. Median prices also fell in several counties in the nine-county region, but for the most part, prices remained flat.
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Mar 21, 2007 --
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market continued its downward slide in
February. Home sales fell sharply across the nine-county region, and median
prices remained flat. Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma Counties fared the
worst; Marin County and Alameda County performed the best.
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Feb 22, 2007 --
The housing market continues to slip in most parts of the Bay Area. Median home prices dropped most notably in Sonoma and Solano County, while Marin and Santa Clara County housing markets saw modest increases.
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The National Association of Realtors keeps working overtime to convince consumers that the housing market is starting to turn around. What's worse is that some media outlets are buying the story and passing it on to people who are looking for real news.
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The San Francisco Bay Area housing market suffered another blow in October as home sales fell to the lowest level on record and prices continued to decline. Areas documenting negative home price appreciation included Solano, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
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Home sales declined once again in the San Francisco Bay Area over the month of June. According to the most recent reports, homes sold at their slowest pace for 12 years, and prices have begun to dip as well. Markets that performed the worst last month include those in Napa County, Solano County, and Sonoma County.
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Slow home sales, rising foreclosures, and falling prices continued to plague the San Francisco Bay Area throughout the month of May. Housing markets seeing the most turmoil are located in Contra Costa County, Napa County, and Solano County, but virtually no market in the nine-county region has experienced improvement since the bust.
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The San Francisco Bay Area housing market continued its downward spiral during the beginning of the second quarter. Home sales dropped dramatically through the nine-county region and prices remained stagnant.
—
The recent rise and fall of the U.S. housing market is not that different from Japan's multi-decade housing crash. We'll compare the two bubbles here and see if there is anything that the U.S. can and should learn from Japan's fallacies.
—
The San Francisco Bay Area housing market set yet more records during the month of September. Homes sold at the slowest pace seen in two decades and foreclosure activity was higher than ever.
—
The housing market in the San Francisco Bay Area continued to struggle in the month of March. Home sales were at the lowest level since 1996, with Solano and Contra Costa Counties seeing declines of more than 30 percent. Median prices also fell in several counties in the nine-county region, but for the most part, prices remained flat.
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The housing market continues to slip in most parts of the Bay Area. Median home prices dropped most notably in Sonoma and Solano County, while Marin and Santa Clara County housing markets saw modest increases.
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The government is so intent on treating the symptoms of the most recent housing market debacle that they are failing to address the actual root of the problem: home prices.
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