Monthly Archives: September 2018

The middle class was an anomaly

Great read from Ritholtz at Bloomberg: Why America Has a Two-Track Economy Which of these two scenarios describes the U.S. economy? No. 1. The economy is better than ever: The stock market is near a record high, wages are rising, … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 127 Comments

Foreclosure problem, or borrowing problem?

From MarketWatch: A decade after the housing crisis, foreclosures still haunt homeowners Maria Landi, a 75-year-old retired insurance specialist, and her husband John, had been making payments on their East Brunswick, New Jersey home for 40 years when Wells Fargo … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 99 Comments

Ah hell, they went and said it…

From MarketWatch: Home-price gains decelerate to 11-month low as housing market tries for a soft landing The numbers: The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city index rose 0.1%, seasonally adjusted, in July, and was up 5.9% compared with a year ago. What … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 96 Comments

Home rule crippling NJ’s future

From NJ Spotlight: THE CHALLENGE FACING NEW JERSEY’S SUBURBS: ‘ADAPT IN ORDER TO SURVIVE’ Could suburban communities really empty out if officials don’t plan better to meet the demand for vibrant, walkable neighborhoods? If recent population settlement patterns continue, and … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 120 Comments

Existing home sales flat in August, prices up, inventory up slightly

From HousingWire: Existing home sales held steady in August After falling for four consecutive months, existing home sales held its ground in August, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors. Total existing home sales, completed transactions … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 57 Comments

Good thing it never rains in NJ

From WHYY: New Jersey unprepared for next economic downturn, say ratings agencies Ten years after the Great Recession, more and more states are bulking up their financial reserves to prepare for another economic downturn. But not the Garden State. According … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 74 Comments

Kaboom

From StreetEasy: 10 Years After the Financial Crisis, False Optimism Pervades NYC Housing Market Aspiring investors may be tempted to view the city’s recovery and the gains reaped by a handful of buyers as evidence that only a major bounty … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Bubble, NYC | 28 Comments

The tax on shore rentals nobody knew about

From the Star Ledger: Summer-rental bill turns homeowners into tax collectors Former state Sen. Ray Lesniak recalls that when he was a kid his family would head down to Wildwood every summer looking for a vacation rental. “We’d just knock … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Property Taxes, Shore Real Estate | 67 Comments

Everything is holding housing back

From MarketWatch: This is why Americans are losing confidence in the housing market Today, less people are buying houses. According to Fannie Mae, a mere 24% of Americans feel like now is a good time to buy a house. Looking … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 37 Comments

Long Island prices gain through summer

From LI Patch: Long Island Home Prices Continue to Soar Long Island’s housing market continues to grow, as a report released today by the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island showed that housing prices are up and more homes are … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, NYC | 59 Comments

Bye Bye Refi

From HousingWire: Originations fall to 4-year low due to rising interest rates The signs were all there. It was clear that mortgage originations were trending down as interest rates rose, but it’s still striking to see the results in black … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 78 Comments

We’re #1! In flipped properties.

From NJ101.5: Home flipping down, but not in New Jersey Home “flipping” — buying and selling a dwelling quickly after renovations for a profit — is slowing in most parts of the country. But flipping activity in New Jersey is … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Foreclosures, New Jersey Real Estate | 64 Comments

NJ economic growth at 18 year high

From Bloomberg: New Jersey’s Economy Gains, Still Lags New York: NY Fed Data The Garden State is growing. New Jersey’s economy accelerated at the fastest pace in almost 18 years though it lags neighboring New York state as it has … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, New Jersey Real Estate | 90 Comments

Fighting against the “look” of urbanism

It’s ok, it’s less ‘urban’ if we make it look like a completely fake “farm”. From the Record: Montvale Planning Board members call plans for Mercedes-Benz site ‘too urban’ The housing and shopping center design for the former Mercedes-Benz headquarters … Continue reading

Posted in New Development, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 49 Comments

More like “Land of the Lost”

From ROI-NJ: Murphy tells ROI: ‘We’re the land that time forgot here in terms of the development of this economy’ Following in the footsteps of the president under whom he served, Gov. Phil Murphy is trying to bring an innovation … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 72 Comments