Monthly Archives: August 2010

New Jersey Home Price Tracker – August 2010

Posted on August 31, 2010 by grim

The New Jersey Home Price Index Tracker has been updated to include: * June S&P Case Shiller (Aggregate, Tiered, Condo) * Q2 FHFA Home Price Index (HPI, Purchase Only) * Q2 NJAR Home Price Index (Statewide Median) (click to enlarge) … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 168 Comments

Case Shiller Day!

Posted on August 31, 2010 by grim

From Reuters: US home prices to eke out small June gain U.S. home prices likely eked out a small gain in June, but a rise would represent the final tail-winds of the homebuyer tax credit that ended in April rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate, New Jersey Real Estate | 135 Comments

“The problem is that every house on their block is for sale, too.”

Posted on August 30, 2010 by grim

From the NY Post (Hat tip Dan): Town is down on its luxe In this economy, it’s not uncommon for whole neighborhoods to be on the market. But Rumson, NJ, a leafy bedroom community of 7,200 residents, nonetheless stands out: … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, Shore Real Estate | 48 Comments

“The housing market should improve but it probably won’t.”

Posted on August 30, 2010 by grim

From Time: Housing Market: What’s Ahead? Are housing prices near a bottom? It’s not just policymakers, realtors and bankers who yearn for the turn. Anyone who owns a house, a condo or coop is surely wishing for some modest improvement. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate | 110 Comments

There are no American soldiers in Baghdad

Posted on August 29, 2010 by grim

From the NY Times (Hat tip Cindy): Widespread Fear Freezes Housing Market You have to wonder sometimes what they’re smoking over there at the National Association of Realtors. On Tuesday, the self-proclaimed “voice for real estate” released its “existing home … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 80 Comments

Bergen and Essex County Mega Comp Killers!

Posted on August 27, 2010 by grim

Wooooooooo!!! Double comp killer weekend! Might just bring a tear to my eye. From AMHS: Hi Grim. Hello all. I’m a long time lurker—thoroughly addicted to this blog for many, many years now. We just moved into our Montclair REO—-we … Continue reading →

Posted in Comp Killer, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate | 297 Comments

Home price outlook not rosy

Posted on August 26, 2010 by grim

From MacroMarkets: Home Price Expectations Continue to Dim “For the third consecutive month, the consensus from the experts indicates weakened overall confidence in the U.S. housing recovery, with only 21% of our panelists now predicting positive growth in prices nation-wide … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate | 185 Comments

July contracts continue downward trend for NJ

Posted on August 25, 2010 by grim

Jeffery Otteau reports contracts signed, not closed sales. This is a more timely indicator of market activity, since closed sales represent purchase activity from approximately 2 months prior. Contracts is also a forward looking predictor of closed sales over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate | 159 Comments

Northern NJ – July Home Sales

Posted on August 24, 2010 by grim

With July Existing Home Sales widely expected to disappoint at 10am this morning, I thought I’d share with you all the equally gloomy Northern NJ data. The local July declines are significantly worse (at least 2-3x) than the consensus estimate … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate | 178 Comments

Housing transitions from cash cow to dog

Posted on August 23, 2010 by grim

From the NYT: Housing Fades as a Means to Build Wealth, Analysts Say Housing will eventually recover from its great swoon. But many real estate experts now believe that home ownership will never again yield rewards like those enjoyed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 113 Comments

How do we sleep when our beds are sinking?

Posted on August 21, 2010 by grim

From Reuters: Dropout Rate for Mortgage Aid Program Nearly 50%: Treasury The percentage of homeowners dropping out of the Obama administration’s premier housing rescue program rose in July to nearly half of participants, as owners receiving aid continued to struggle … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 95 Comments

Hot Potato

Posted on August 20, 2010 by grim

From Housingwire: Fitch: Big Four Banks Face $180bn in Buybacks from Fannie and Freddie Government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae may exercise the right to force the big four banks, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Bubble, National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 182 Comments

High-end short sales!

Posted on August 19, 2010 by grim

MLS# 2781150 78 May Dr, Chatham Original List: $2,795,000 Asking: $2,290,000 DOM: 300ish Purchased in 2007 for $2,955,000 MLS# 2790238 765 Ewing Ave, Franklin Lakes Original List: $4,250,000 Asking: $2,199,000 DOM: Forever (No Pic) MLS# 2776442 9 Peach Tree Place, … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | 189 Comments

NJ unemployment rises in July

Posted on August 18, 2010 by grim

From Bloomberg: New Jersey’s Unemployment Rate Increases for the First Time Since December New Jersey’s unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent in July, the first monthly increase since December as municipalities cut payrolls to balance budgets. Employers shed 21,200 positions … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 47 Comments

Altos: NY Metro July Prices Down, Inventory Up

Posted on August 17, 2010 by grim

(grim’s note: While the Altos numbers are a welcome addition, realize that they are month over month numbers, which tend to exhibit strong seasonality with regards to price and inventory. These numbers are hard to use (and potentially confusing/misleading) without … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 56 Comments