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

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the U.S. is adding 2.8 million people each year (and that is predicated on an assumed low net-in migration scenario). New residential building permits have averaged less than 600,000 per year for the past 48 months. Admittedly, there was… 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

Homevestors (We Buy Ugly Houses®) based on analyses completed by Local Market Monitor ranked cities selecting the top markets to invest in rental housing.   They report current median home prices, forecast 2015 median home values, projected annual rent in 2015, and the premium of return… Read more

Each quarter, Dr Glenn Mueller at Dividend Capital updates his outstanding report on commercial real estate market cycles.  He segments his reports to five separate commercial property types in more than 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).   Property types include: Office Industrial Apartment Retail Hotel His… 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

Every once in a while we need to lighten things up and this news report fits right in there the day following Valentines.  CNN reports the findings of a study conducted by Trulia that singles  prefer to date homeowners rather than renters.  Trulia commissioned Harris… Read more

Apartment asking rents increased 2.8 percent last year according to Rents Marcus and Millichap while effective rents (after consideration of all discounts, giveaways and specials) jumped 4 percent.  At the same time, median U.S. home values declined 3.9 percent.  Marcus and Millichap expects 2012 to see… Read more

In my economic forecast presentations this year one of the mega themes is that people that graduated from a technical school, college or university in the past three years or the coming three years will be more pre-disposed to be renters than home owners.  Literally,… Read more