Category Archives: Economics

Zelman: “The equation of renting versus owning is becoming much more favorable for owning”

Posted on April 4, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 143 Comments

From the WSJ: As Home Rents Head Higher, Owning Regains Its Appeal Climbing rents for apartments are combining with a continued decline in home prices to push once-reluctant home buyers into finally taking the plunge, say economists and real-estate agents, … Continue reading →

First-timers stepping back into the market?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, NYC | 146 Comments

From Crain’s New York: Rising rents boosting sales of starter apartments Studios and one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan made a comeback during the first three months of this year, according to quarterly residential market reports released Tuesday morning as rising rents … Continue reading →

Hammers start to swing again

Posted on April 2, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 107 Comments

From the Record: Home construction shows signs of life after long downturn From new luxury homes in Saddle River to town houses in Garfield to rentals in Fort Lee, Elmwood Park, Hackensack and Wood-Ridge, North Jersey is seeing small signs … Continue reading →

Too early for so much hope and optimism?

Posted on April 1, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 37 Comments

From the Star Ledger: Warm weather, improved economy bringing out homebuyers and sellers this spring In the real estate business, there is a budding sense of optimism these days. A warmer winter, a stronger sense of job security and a … Continue reading →

Where do we go from here?

Posted on March 31, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 43 Comments

From CNBC: Real Estate Recovery a Tale of Good, Bad and Ugly In Miami, condominiums are hot again. In Phoenix, builders are opening new communities. In New Jersey, buyers are finding it takes about three years to foreclose on a … Continue reading →

Jamie says all clear on the housing front

Posted on March 29, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Humor | 115 Comments

From CNBC: Improving Housing Market Driving Economy: Jamie Dimon The U.S. housing market is very close to a bottom and there are already signs its improvement is giving a boost to the overall economy, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told … Continue reading →

Turning the corner or hanging off the edge?

Posted on March 28, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 161 Comments

From the Record: Area’s home prices drop 2.9% in January Despite signs of an economic recovery, home prices nationally and in the New York metropolitan area, including North Jersey, continued to slide in January, the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index … Continue reading →

Otteau: “We are at a turning point in the housing market and the economy”

Posted on March 26, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 139 Comments

From the Record: N.J. housing market recovering, appraiser says New Jersey’s housing market is recovering, and this spring’s home-selling season will be the liveliest in four years, appraiser Jeffrey Otteau said Monday. “We are at a turning point in the … Continue reading →

Appeal 2012!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 81 Comments

From the Record: North Jersey homeowners seek lower tax assessments (Hat tip Gary) Watching their property taxes rise as the value of their 82-year-old house dropped, Nora and Pat Sfarra of Teaneck decided to appeal their tax assessment last year. … Continue reading →

The New (Jersey) Suburbia?

Posted on March 24, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 36 Comments

From the NY Times: High Marks for Transit Hubs WANT to know which New Jersey train stations have the most plentiful supply of parking spaces relative to town population? There’s a list for that. Or what about stations in the … Continue reading →

Good start for employment in 2012, but quite a distance to go

Posted on March 23, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 107 Comments

From the Star Ledger: New Jersey job figures show slow but steady growth, economists say During the first two months of 2012 alone, New Jersey created more than half the number of jobs it did during all of last year, … Continue reading →

“Housing bottoming is going to surprise a lot of people”

Posted on March 22, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 194 Comments

From the WSJ: Housing Shows Signs of Life The U.S. housing market, a notable soft spot in the nation’s weak economy for the past four years, is becoming less of a drag on the recovery. Real-estate markets are showing signs … Continue reading →

High expectations for February used house sales

Posted on March 21, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 129 Comments

From Bloomberg: Previously Owned U.S. Home Sales Probably Climbed Sales of previously owned U.S. homes probably rose in February to an almost two-year high, adding to signs of stabilization in the real-estate market, economists said before a report today. Purchases … Continue reading →

Signs of recovery? Or just a shift due to the weather?

Posted on March 20, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 302 Comments

From CNBC: Did Warm Winter Steal Spring Housing? As if we really needed a reminder that today’s housing market is still very fragile, the first installment in a slew of housing data to be released this week came in below … Continue reading →

Fast tracking abandoned homes

Posted on March 19, 2012 by grim
Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, Politics | 157 Comments

From the Star Ledger: Housing, banking advocates hail measure to speed foreclosures of abandoned homes A piece of state legislation that looks to turn foreclosed homes into affordable housing also contains a little-noted provision that banking and housing experts say … Continue reading →