Monthly Archives: September 2006

Something for nothing?

From the Home News Tribune TRAILER PARK TURMOIL By March, Karen and Donald Woods and their neighbors in the Warinanco Trailer Park on St. Georges Avenue are expected to vacate their homes to make way for a three-story, 27-unit condominium … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | Comments Off on Something for nothing?

Newfangled mortgages

From the Santa Cruz Sentinal: Lessons on newfangled mortgages What happens when you rent a house? You pay money month after month and never build up equity in the property. All that money gone and nothing to show for it. … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate, Risky Lending | Comments Off on Newfangled mortgages

Did Cherry Hill Overpay?

From the Courier Post Price of property questioned Two appraisals of a 44-acre property Cherry Hill bought earlier this year for preservation valued the land at substantially less than the $8.3 million the township paid for it. Township records also … Continue reading

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | Comments Off on Did Cherry Hill Overpay?

Right-sizing

From Marketwatch Living Small Sure, he’s been heard to grumble about the home’s lone bathroom, shared between two adults and three kids. But residential designer Eric Hughes has few regrets about prioritizing detail, organization and high-end materials over sheer space … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate | 4 Comments

“How can a landlord let people live like that?”

From the Asbury Park Press Enforcing rental rules He’s been chased down the stairs by a raccoon-sized rat. He’s walked into invisible walls of gag-inducing stink. He’s been cursed as he points his flashlight into dark rooms. There’s a crisis … Continue reading

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Wildwood code violations

From the Press of Atlantic City W’wood code issue makes nightmare of dream homes Southern New Jersey’s shore and summer vacations were synonymous for the May family. “As a kid, my parents used to go down to the Wildwoods,” Richard … Continue reading

Posted in General | Comments Off on Wildwood code violations

The formula for driving markets down

From the Sacramento Bee Housing outlook? Spin the wheel Eleven months ago as the Sacramento-area real estate market stood at the beginning of a downturn, the National Association of Realtors said there was only one thing that could make the … Continue reading

Posted in General | Comments Off on The formula for driving markets down

What happens when the party is over?

From the Star Telegram Avoiding mortgage crisis is a priority When the real-estate industry made it easy to borrow a lot of money, it also made it easy for people to get into financial trouble. Which is exactly what’s happening, … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate, Risky Lending | Comments Off on What happens when the party is over?

A “can’t miss” investment

From the Edmonton Sun Housing on the bubble He asked me what I did for a living just as I teed up. I have a hard enough time making the ball go where I want it to, so I normally … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Bubble | 42 Comments

Feed Me Semour

From the Randolph Reporter Answers scarce to high taxes Others had equally strong, though less creative, criticisms of state government at a tax reform group’s fall summit meeting held last Thursday night in Randolph High School. The meeting was sponsored … Continue reading

Posted in General | 25 Comments

“Can’t pay, can’t sell, can’t refinance”

From the New York Times: It Seemed Like a Good Bet at the Time … FOR Inga Rogers, the party ends in 38 days. On Nov. 1, the adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, she took out three years ago at the … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 9 Comments

Market at a crossroads

From Commercial Property News Multi-Family Market at Crossroads, Downturn Likely Dr. Sam Chandan (pictured) of REIS Inc., speaking to a packed auditorium on Tuesday, expressed the belief–commonly held amongst industry experts and economists–that the single-family housing market is headed for … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate | Comments Off on Market at a crossroads

Weekend Open Discussion

Welcome to the first Weekend Open Discussion at the new website! This is the time and place to post observations about your local areas, comments on news stories or the New Jersey housing bubble, open house reports, etc. If you … Continue reading

Posted in General | 7 Comments

Blogging from San Antonio

I’m blogging from sunny (and hot) San Antonio, TX this weekend.  We’re out here visiting good friends of ours.  Friends that gave up on New Jersey and moved away last year.  I’m not sure any of us expected them to just pick up and … Continue reading

Posted in General, National Real Estate, New Jersey Real Estate | 34 Comments

Texas-sized Bubble

Since I’m blogging from San Antonio, TX this weekend, I thought I’d post a local piece.  From the San Antonio Express News: S.A. area’s rural land now is hot property Buying and selling houses is so passé. These days in Texas, … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 20 Comments