Monthly Archives: February 2015

January pending sales hit 18 month high

Posted on February 28, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ: Pending Home Sales Rose 1.7% in January A forward-looking gauge of U.S. home purchases rose in January to its highest level in nearly a year and a half, a sign of firming demand in the housing market. … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 35 Comments

The Boring Plateau

Posted on February 26, 2015 by grim

From HousingWire: Latest data shows housing economy sluggish Sales of new single-family houses in January 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000, down 0.2% from December’s big gains. This is 0.2% below the revised December rate of … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 167 Comments

December Case Shiller

Posted on February 25, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ: Growth in U.S. Home Prices Slowed in 2014 Home prices in 2014 saw yearly growth slow to the weakest pace in three years, according to a home price report released Tuesday. The home price index covering the … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 105 Comments

Not the way to start the year

Posted on February 24, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ: U.S. Home Sales Falter to Start Year Sales of previously owned homes slowed in January, a reflection of the rising prices and tight supplies that could constrain the housing market this year. Existing-home sales fell 4.9% last … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery | 81 Comments

What subprime crisis?

Posted on February 23, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ: Lenders Step Up Financing to Subprime Borrowers Loans to consumers with low credit scores have reached the highest level since the start of the financial crisis, driven by a boom in car lending and a new crop … Continue reading →

Posted in Mortgages, National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 99 Comments

Fake it until you take it

Posted on February 22, 2015 by grim

From Bloomberg: How to Hang Out in a House Until It’s Yours The cult of adverse possession is alive and well in New York City. Adverse possession is the centuries-old legal principal that says, basically, if a squatter occupies a … Continue reading →

Posted in National Real Estate, NYC, Unrest | 6 Comments

Shocking Housing Data (Who is the new guy?)

Posted on February 20, 2015 by grim

From HousingWire: Realtor.com: Tightening inventories likely to push home prices up Housing inventory continues to tighten in markets across the country – a 2015 trend identified by realtor.com Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke in its housing inventory data report for January. … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 90 Comments

You can fix this fixer-upper up with a little bit of love!

Posted on February 19, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ (hat tip Chi): Fixer Uppers: A Pot of Gold or a Money Pit? Fixer-uppers are an increasingly popular option for home buyers looking to save a little money in exchange for a bit of elbow grease, says … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Recovery, National Real Estate, New Development | 99 Comments

They are zombies because nobody wants them

Posted on February 18, 2015 by grim

From Housingwire: New York doubling down in fight against zombie foreclosures The State of New York doubling down in its efforts to fight back against the rising tide of zombie properties, which are homes that are vacant or abandoned during … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Politics, Unrest | 108 Comments

Stop Sandy Foreclosures?

Posted on February 17, 2015 by grim

From the APP: EDITORIAL: Stop rising tide of foreclosures in N.J. Superstorm Sandy is still wreaking havoc in New Jersey nearly 21/2years after it moved away from the Jersey Shore. And the bureaucracy in New Jersey has made things worse. … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, Politics, Shore Real Estate | 152 Comments

Damn backwards millennials

Posted on February 16, 2015 by grim

From Motley Fool: Why Millennials Put Mortgage Before Marriage Millennials continue to confound older generations with an emerging tendency to reverse the traditional order of steps in a committed relationship. Where the norm used to be, “First comes marriage, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate | 100 Comments

How I learned to stop worrying and love pink

Posted on February 15, 2015 by grim

From the Record: Pink baths: time has not been kind to these tiles When Stacey Lopis’ friends see the bathroom in her 1960-vintage Hawthorne ranch, they all say the same thing: “You have to get rid of the pink tile.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 60 Comments

Housing is expensive, rent or buy

Posted on February 14, 2015 by grim

From HousingWire: Experts: Unaffordable rents here to stay Unaffordable rents are making it hard for people to save for down payments, and they aren’t likely to ease up for at least two years, according to the latest Zillow Home Price … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery | 57 Comments

The light at the end of the tunnel is a train…

Posted on February 13, 2015 by grim

From the Star Ledger: N.J. foreclosure rate among highest in nation, but dip may signal ‘light at end of tunnel’ Foreclosures activity in New Jersey fell last month, according to a new report, but the state’s foreclosure rate still remains … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Risky Lending | 74 Comments

Mistakes? So what! Fuggedaboudit!

Posted on February 12, 2015 by grim

From the WSJ: FHA Looks to Ease Banks’ Worry on Mortgage Mistakes A U.S. housing regulator is considering limiting one of the most powerful tools federal attorneys have to punish banks for making mistakes in mortgage lending, a move the … Continue reading →

Posted in Mortgages, Politics, Risky Lending | 100 Comments