Monthly Archives: April 2014

Home prices slow in February, but still show strong YOY gains

Posted on April 30, 2014 by grim

From Bloomberg: Home-Price Gains in U.S. Cities Cooled in February Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a slower pace in the year ended February as the residential real-estate market cooled. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values increased 12.9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 132 Comments

Pending Home Sales jump in March

Posted on April 29, 2014 by grim

From Bloomberg: Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Rise Most Since 2011 Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes climbed in March by the most in almost three years, showing residential real estate was starting to stabilize entering the spring … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 100 Comments

You spin me right round baby

Posted on April 28, 2014 by grim

From the Record: Analysis: N.J. job stats in the best light Employment statistics are a telling barometer of the health of the economy, and even small changes are scrutinized. Monthly announcements, from Washington and each state, report the two key … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | 73 Comments

“We think it is officially time to stop cheering for higher house prices.”

Posted on April 25, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Housing will not save the U.S. economy The horrible drop in new home sales that came in from the U.S. Census on Wednesday underlines the assertion of Princeton economist Atif Mian and the University of Chicago’s Amir Sufi. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 206 Comments

Maybe a house isn’t a great idea?

Posted on April 24, 2014 by grim

From the Washington Post: Americans think owning a home is better for them than it is Some people never learn: Polls show that Americans still view their homes as the best and safest place to invest their hard-earned cash. Gallup … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 146 Comments

Existing Home Sales disappoint again in March

Posted on April 23, 2014 by grim

From MarketWatch: Sales of existing homes slowest since July 2012 The sales pace of existing homes ticked down in March to the slowest rate since July 2012, showing weakness in the early spring sales season, though underlying trends signal a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 140 Comments

More on the NJ foreclosure crisis

Posted on April 22, 2014 by grim

From NJ Spotlight: EXPLAINER: JUST HOW BAD IS NEW JERSEY’S FORECLOSURE CRISIS? The Garden State has the country’s highest percentage of foreclosures among mortgaged homes — and that’s just the beginning Early this year, banking and real-estate analysts concluded that … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 133 Comments

Is Spring the time to sell?

Posted on April 21, 2014 by grim

From the Washington Post: The Nation’s Housing: Is spring the time to list a home? It’s common knowledge verging on holy writ in real estate: Spring is the absolute best time of the year to sell a house. Right? But … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate | 103 Comments

NJ job market struggling, unemployment rises to 7.2%

Posted on April 18, 2014 by grim

From the Record: NJ lost 1,300 jobs in March; unemployment rate ticks up The loss of 1,300 jobs in March puts New Jersey down 1,900 jobs for the year, as even traditionally strong sectors such as health and leisure lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment | 67 Comments

Realty Transfer Tax to be eliminated? Yeah right.

Posted on April 17, 2014 by grim

From the Star Ledger: In response to Christie, Republican senator plans to introduce bill to end NJ’s realty transfer fees One day after Gov. Chris Christie said he would abolish reality transfer fees in New Jersey if given the chance, … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 90 Comments

Ain’t your daddys real estate market

Posted on April 16, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: 5 brilliant insights in the CoreLogic April MarketPulse 1) Rise of short-terms In 2006, 86.2% of all refinance originations were 30-year terms. In 2013, the share of refinance originations with a new 30-year term dropped to 60.1%. Because … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate | 95 Comments

Will the market slow in 2014?

Posted on April 15, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Here’s why the rest of 2014 will be rough for housing The next couple of quarters may be rough going for the housing and finance industry. Housing prices and mortgage activity will stay highly sensitive to the Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 115 Comments

Commercial investors positive on Jersey market

Posted on April 14, 2014 by grim

From the Record: Investors return for North Jersey real estate A few months ago, a Hoboken multifamily building, The Artisan, sold for a record $569,000 per “door,” or apartment. The acquirer, a real estate investment management company, forked over $33.6 … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 78 Comments

Foreclosures down (but not here)

Posted on April 10, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Foreclosure activity at lowest level since 2Q 2007 There were 117,485 foreclosure filings in March 2014, which is up 4% from February but still down 23% compared to March 2013, according to RealtyTrac’s “U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.” RealtyTrac’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 198 Comments

Optimism is in the air

Posted on April 8, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: American optimism trends higher as home buying season starts As the market enters the spring homebuying season, more homeowners are beginning to think now is a good time to sell a home, in addition to it being easier … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 205 Comments