Author Archives: grim

CoreLogic: December Home Prices

Posted on February 3, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 136 Comments

From CoreLogic (no link): CoreLogic® Home Price Index Shows Fifth Consecutive Month-Over-Month Decline Home prices in the U.S. decreased 1.4 percent on a month-over-month basis, the fifth consecutive monthly decline. However, the HPI excluding distressed sales posted its first month-over-month … Continue reading →

NJ contracts continue to post positive prints

Posted on February 2, 2012 by grim
Posted in Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 127 Comments

From the Otteau Group (no link): Home Sales Up in December Making it 7 of the Last 8 Months The New Jersey housing market continues to build momentum as it turned the corner into the new year. Combined purchase contracts … Continue reading →

Case Shiller: NY metro prices fall 2.3% in November

Posted on February 1, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 141 Comments

From the Record: Region’s home prices drop 2.3% Home prices in the New York metropolitan area, including North Jersey, dropped 2.3 percent in November, compared with a year earlier, the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index reported Tuesday. Nationally, prices dropped … Continue reading →

Fed: NJ economy outpacing NYC

Posted on January 31, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 179 Comments

From the Record: NJs economy picks up as NYCs slows As New York State’s economic activity has leveled off, New Jersey’s has picked up — and the state job market is stronger than the unemployment rate of 9 percent suggests, … Continue reading →

I think I can, I think I can

Posted on January 30, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 103 Comments

From CNN/Money: The housing recovery that wasn’t Over the past few months, a spate of good news about the U.S. housing market has led some to think a recovery is finally on the horizon. The evidence is compelling. It now … Continue reading →

Which gets cut: Income taxes or property taxes?

Posted on January 27, 2012 by grim
Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 280 Comments

From Bloomberg: Christie Pushes Income-Tax Cut as Democrats Eye Property Levies Governor Chris Christie told a group of business leaders that Democrats in the Legislature may jeopardize New Jersey’s economic recovery by putting social issues ahead of job-creation and tax … Continue reading →

Where have all the foreclosures gone?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by grim
Posted in Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 140 Comments

From the Record: One in 12 N.J. home sales was a foreclosure in third quarter About one in every 12 New Jersey home sales in the third quarter of 2011 involved foreclosed properties — a steep drop from the previous … Continue reading →

What part does hope play in economic forecasting?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery | 142 Comments

From HousingWire: RealtyTrac: Several economists missed the mark with 2011 projections Every new year brings predictions on how the economy is expected to fare, especially in terms of home sales, prices and gross domestic product growth. But with 2012 still … Continue reading →

Mortgage settlement near?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by grim
Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, Politics | 166 Comments

From Bloomberg: Bank Foreclosure Deal Reviewed by States as Delaware Drops Out State attorneys general reviewed a proposed settlement with banks over foreclosure and mortgage- servicing practices that negotiators are pressing to complete as Delaware said it would reject a … Continue reading →

Why do we keep believing we can fix housing?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, Housing Bubble, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 153 Comments

From the WSJ: Economists See Ways to Aid Housing Market he underpinnings of a housing recovery are hiding in plain sight: sharp price declines, low mortgage rates and rising rents have made owning more affordable than renting in a growing … Continue reading →

Après-ski (or sled) open discussion

Posted on January 21, 2012 by grim
Posted in Comp Killer | 106 Comments

Some weekend gossip, from the Real Deal blog: NBA veteran suffers big loss on NJ condo sale Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collins sold his North Bergen condo — fully stocked with electronics and furniture — at a 58 percent loss … Continue reading →

NJ unemployment ticks down to 9 in December

Posted on January 19, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 121 Comments

From New Jersey Newsroom: N.J. jobless rate drops to 9%, lowest since May 2009 New Jersey’s unemployment rate in December dropped 0.1 percent to 9 percent, the lowest jobless rate in the state since May 2009, 31 months ago. And … Continue reading →

I’d like a tax cut, but can we afford it?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 149 Comments

From the APP: Gov. Christie takes rosy look at state revenues By calling for a 10 percent income tax cut, Gov. Chris Christie must believe boom times are coming to state finances. Because with the scheduled increases for pension payments … Continue reading →

Bottoms Up?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 188 Comments

From the WSJ: From Bottom Up, Signs of Housing Recovery After years of watching home prices slide, Claudia Ruggiero, a teacher in White Plains, was ready to strike. She and her husband Michael Johnson, also a teacher, had a 14-month-old … Continue reading →

Location, location, location, or something else?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, North Jersey Real Estate, South Jersey Real Estate | 224 Comments

From the Record: Location still holds key to value The decline in housing values has not fallen equally on all towns. A Record analysis of home prices in the first half of 2011 (the latest available in public records) found … Continue reading →