Monthly Archives: April 2016

Some news isn’t good-enough-news, but at least we’re trending in the right direction

From NJ101.5: NJ housing expert: ‘Good news, but not enough of it’ Most of the latest numbers related to the housing market in New Jersey point to solid movement in the right direction, but can conditions ever return to the … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 17 Comments

March Pending Home Sales – Northeast continues it’s run

From CNBC: Pending home sales up 1.4% in March, highest pace in nearly a year Homebuyers stepped up their purchases in March, signing contracts to buy existing homes at the highest pace in nearly a year. A monthly index measuring … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 94 Comments

Home prices rise, less then expected, gains moderate

From HousingWire: S&P/Case-Shiller: Home prices finally start to stabilize The National Home Price Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, increased 5.3% annually in February, unchanged from the previous month, breaking a 10-month streak where the year-over-year figure increased over … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 109 Comments

February not good to NJ home prices

From National Mortgage News: Home Prices Rise Again in February: Black Knight Home prices continue to make steady increases but are still off from their 2006 peak, according to Black Knight Financial Services. Black Knight’s Home Price Index reported a … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Jersey Real Estate | 60 Comments

As go the rich?

From Vanity Fair: The Hamptons Housing Market Is Getting Clobbered by Wall Street Jitters IIt’s beginning to look a lot like springtime in the Hamptons. Frost has cleared from the dunes; landscape artists are tending to hedge-grow after the wilds … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, NYC, Shore Real Estate | 61 Comments

South Jersey seeing no foreclosure recovery

From the Press of Atlantic City: South Jersey home sale prices hit by large distressed market South Jersey real estate continues to be hit hard by distressed properties, Atlantic County most of all. Lenders started foreclosure actions against 399 homeowners … Continue reading

Posted in Foreclosures, Shore Real Estate, South Jersey Real Estate | 131 Comments

NJ’s shell game taxes

From the APP: Prieto: No estate tax deal without gas tax increase Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said he won’t move forward with any plans to eliminate New Jersey’s estate tax without a broader deal to increase the state’s gasoline tax. … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 128 Comments

Affordability again pushing buyers to the burbs?

From LoHud: Housing market strong in Lower Hudson Valley The Lower Hudson Valley housing market continued to show its strength, as the total number of first-quarter home sales in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties went up by 14.5 percent over … Continue reading

Posted in Employment, Housing Recovery, NYC | 60 Comments

The key to growth

From the Record: Population rebounds around train stations in N.J. When Kevin Eleby started commuting by train to New York City in 2001, the station in downtown Paterson was nearly empty. Every morning he climbed the stairs to the platform … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate | 22 Comments

Freddie and Fannie to reduce principal

From HousingWire: FHFA makes it official: Principal reduction is coming A day that many in the housing industry thought would never come is finally and actually here, as the Federal Housing Finance Agency is making official what was first reported … Continue reading

Posted in Foreclosures, Mortgages, Politics, Risky Lending | 116 Comments

Atlantic City and Trenton lead the nation in foreclosure filings

From NBC News: Atlantic City Area Tops List of Foreclosures Atlantic County, home to New Jersey’s fiscally distressed gambling hub Atlantic City, had the highest foreclosure rate of any major U.S. metropolitan area in the first quarter of 2016, according … Continue reading

Posted in Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 24 Comments

Foreclosures continue improvement trend

From HousingWire: Foreclosure inventory declined nearly 25% in February National foreclosure inventory, or any house within the foreclosure process, in February decreased by 23.9% annually, according to CoreLogic’s February 2016 National Foreclosure Report. Completed foreclosures, total homes lost to foreclosures, … Continue reading

Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 87 Comments

More settlements … no guilt … no prosecution

From the Star Ledger: Goldman Sachs to pay $5 billion for its role in housing bubble Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay more than $5 billion to settle charges it sold mortgages it knew were likely to fail during the … Continue reading

Posted in Mortgages, Politics, Risky Lending, Unrest | 69 Comments

Positive sign for jobs? Or just more of the same?

From the Record: North Jersey employers put out the ‘Help Wanted’ sign Ikea is hiring — and so are Hackensack University Medical Center, Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Eisai and Toys “R” Us, among other North Jersey employers. With … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, New Jersey Real Estate | 80 Comments

HAT TIP CHICAGO FINANCE

From the WSJ: Housing Bust Lingers for Generation X The group of Americans known as Generation X has suffered more than any other age cohort from the housing bust, according to an analysis of federal data, suggesting homeownership rates for … Continue reading

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