Housing continues to make a comeback following the real estate depression of 2007 through 2011. Job growth (albeit tepid), rising rents and population growth are the trifecta to increased sales and prices. October 2012 saw a Seasonally-Adjusted Annualized Sales Rate (SAAR) of 4.79 million existing… Read more

24/7 Wall Street analyzed the latest report from CoreLogic and summarized the 10 states with the greatest percentage of underwater homes across the country. The CoreLogic report (which shows the massive extent of public data coverage they have) was based on actual loan amounts (they… Read more

The big story in housing is actually two stories (which are related): Rising Listing Prices Shrinking Inventory Each month, The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) tracks assorted listing data in 146 markets nationwide. The two story trends noted above include:  More than 75 percent of… Read more

Housing should not be viewed from a short-term perspective given transaction costs. Nor should home values be analyzed in a vacuum since you must live someplace. And since housing is truly a long-term asset, inflation comes into play. That said, take a look at what… Read more

Realtor.com, which has more than 4.2 million active residential listings, each month tallies the top 10 metros for the largest increase in median listing price.  Changes in asking prices are typically correlated with changing market conditions, and once again these indicate a recovering housing market…. Read more

As I had written earlier this year, the U.S. housing market is finally turning the corner—and that is amplified in the release of April existing housing sales and prices from the National Association of Realtors®.  [As always, I invoke the “There Is No Such Thing… Read more

Despite increased energy costs, the second home market—like the primary dwelling market—continues to heal albeit in a new mode not seen in the days of cheaper gasoline. A recent series of articles on second homes shows a new approach to second homes coupled with rising… Read more

The dearth of residential construction in the past four years and a growing (albeit sputtering) economy, has set the stage for several years of rising rents—and in some locations SIGNIFICANTLY rising rents.  One of the mega themes I have addressed this past year in my… Read more

The big story for March 2012 existing homes sales was the significant decline in the inventory of homes available for sale (where the months inventory contrasts the current supply, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, to the sales rate).  Months inventory in March 2012 was 6.7 months… Read more

MarketWatch reports on the list of best opportunities for real estate investors in housing focusing on those areas with renewed job growth, shrinking inventories and those in which demand has yet to pickup to a level significantly driving up prices. Many of these more desirable… Read more