Monthly Archives: June 2014

Still no end to the housing bailouts

Posted on June 30, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Obama administration reveals plan to jump-start housing Speaking Thursday at the Making Home Affordable five-year anniversary summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced several initiatives designed to spur the flailing housing market. Lew identified three specific issues that … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Politics | 57 Comments

“Oversupplied and under-demolished”

Posted on June 29, 2014 by grim

From the Star Ledger: Diamonds to dinosaurs: NJ towns struggle under weight of massive office park vacancies They’re visible from many New Jersey highways – hulking, seemingly endless structures surrounded by oceans of asphalt parking lots and carefully planned landscaping. … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, New Jersey Real Estate | 17 Comments

Nobody wants a mortgage?

Posted on June 27, 2014 by grim

From the NYT: Fewer Loan Applications Spring failed to inspire a surge in home sales nationally this year, even though mortgage rates are still reasonably low. Although economists insist that the housing market is on an upward trend, abnormal conditions … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 68 Comments

Froth, bubbles, or much ado about nothing?

Posted on June 26, 2014 by grim

From Time: The Housing Market Won’t Be Undervalued Much Longer Trulia’s latest analysis shows homes in three-fourths of major U.S. cities are still undervalued, while seven are more than 10% overvalued (most in California). Even there, prices are no where … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 54 Comments

CS: Price Increases Slow in April

Posted on June 25, 2014 by grim

From Bloomberg: Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Rose at Slower Pace in April Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a slower pace than forecast in the year ended in April as declining affordability put a lid on … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 28 Comments

Flipping? What year is it?

Posted on June 24, 2014 by grim

From the Press of Atlantic City: Home flipping gains momentum in South Jersey as foreclosures soar The business of buying and selling houses for quick profit is in decline nationally, but a second wave of foreclosures in New Jersey has … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Shore Real Estate | 81 Comments

Valli on Newark

Posted on June 23, 2014 by grim

From the WSJ: Frankie Valli Remembers Home If I close my eyes, I can remember the first apartment where I lived with my family in Newark, N.J., in the late 1930s. The rooms were lined up like train cars—you had … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | 56 Comments

The curious ways of the millennial

Posted on June 22, 2014 by grim

From MarketWatch: 5 industries that Millennials are destroying There’s a lot to be said for watching demographic shifts as you craft your long-term investing strategy. And while Baby Boomer stocks like health care and insurance get a lot of attention, … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics | 20 Comments

Can NJ “get it right”?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by grim

From NJ Spotlight: CAN NEW JERSEY COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL ‘INNOVATION ECONOMY? It may sound more trite than true, but “think globally, act locally” is an apt — though oversimplified — assessment of what New Jersey needs to do to … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 69 Comments

Where could they all be hiding?

Posted on June 19, 2014 by grim

From NPR: Sluggish Housing Market A Product Of Millions Of ‘Missing Households’ A year ago, the housing market looked like it was finally recovering. Sales and prices were picking up. But then home sales fizzled. Currently, they are down about … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery | 97 Comments

May housing construction disappoints

Posted on June 18, 2014 by grim

From the WSJ: U.S. Housing Starts Fall 6.5% in May A gauge of new-home construction fell in May after several months of gains, the latest sign of the housing sector’s uneven recovery. Housing starts fell 6.5% in May to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery | 66 Comments

Firming up, or temporary blip?

Posted on June 17, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: FNC Residential Price Index shows home prices are firming up Home prices are beginning to stabilize despite weaker-than-expected home sales in the recent months, according to FNC. The FNC Residential Price Index, which does not include distressed properties, … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery | 55 Comments

Jersey Underperforms

Posted on June 16, 2014 by grim

From the Record: New Jersey’s economic recovery still wobbly The New Jersey economy has so far replaced just about 40 percent of the jobs it lost from the recession. In contrast, Connecticut has replaced 55 percent, Pennsylvania has replaced nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 99 Comments

Mr. Makowsky builds his dream house

Posted on June 14, 2014 by grim

From the NYT: A ‘Money Pit’ No More The Long Island mansion used for “The Money Pit,” the 1986 comedy starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long about the ultimate fixer-upper fiasco, is poised to go on the market for $12.5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor | 38 Comments

So when do we see the boomer migration?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Where are Baby Boomers moving? Absolutely nowhere Some 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement every day, exiting a world dependent on jobs and kids and into a new lifestyle that drastically adjusts their housing choices, a commentary by Patrick … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate | 45 Comments