Monthly Archives: September 2024

So much for NJ’s economy

From Reuters: US East Coast port strike looms Tuesday with no talks scheduled U.S. East and Gulf Coast port workers are set to go on strike at midnight on Monday with no talks currently scheduled to head off a stoppage … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Unrest | 195 Comments

Northeast takes a dip

From the NAR: Pending Home Sales Edged Up 0.6% in August Pending home sales in August rose 0.6%, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Midwest, South and West posted monthly gains in transactions, while the Northeast recorded a … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 62 Comments

First timers vs. Investors

From HousingWire: Investors are purchasing fewer homes, but they still account for nearly 25% of sales The share of single-family homes sold to investors peaked at nearly 30% at the start of this year, but these types of transactions dropped … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 125 Comments

Time to spend!

From CNBC: Mortgage rates dip, giving U.S. homebuyers over $200,000 in additional spending power in some U.S. cities U.S. home buyers are gaining tens of thousands in purchasing power as mortgage rates drop. With 30-year fixed mortgage rates declining from 7.79% … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, Mortgages | 79 Comments

Back to “normal”?

From the AP: For home shoppers, the Fed’s big rate cut is likely just a small step towards affording a home The Federal Reserve gave home shoppers what they hoped for this week: a big rate cut and a signal … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Bubble, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 97 Comments

NJ loses jobs in August

From ROINJ: New Jersey payrolls decline in August; unemployment rate at 4.8%  New Jersey recorded a decrease of 4,400 jobs between July and August, bringing the seasonally adjusted total to 4,369,400 jobs, according to Thursday estimates released by the U.S. Bureau … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, New Jersey Real Estate | 18 Comments

Fed unexpectedly cuts by 50

From CNBC: Fed slashes interest rates by a half point, an aggressive start to its first easing campaign in four years The Federal Reserve on Wednesday enacted its first interest rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic, … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Employment, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 208 Comments

August heats up

From Redfin: U.S. Home Prices Rose 0.5% in August, the Biggest Increase in 4 Months U.S. home prices grew 0.5% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the largest month-over-month increase since April.  On a year-over-year basis, home prices rose … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 127 Comments

Starter home? What’s that?

From CBS News: As more first-time homebuyers are priced out, what can revive the American starter home? Felicia Ellis is actively looking to buy her first home by the end of the year. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a tree-lined street in … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate, New Development | 103 Comments

Where can you afford to buy?

From NorthJersey.com: These New Jersey towns have the lowest home prices within 30 minutes of New York City In a new study from PropertyShark, the real estate data provider found the 13 communities with the lowest home prices within a … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate, NYC | 49 Comments

Ah damn, now they’ve gone and done it

From MSN: Home prices almost never go down Beginning in the 70s and into the 80s, baby boomers who were coming of age and entering the housing world fueled a boom, so home prices generally rose (as did mortgage rates). An … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 175 Comments

Vampire squid says prices are going up

From Goldman Sachs: US house prices are forecast to rise more than 4% next year US home prices are expected to climb as the Federal Reserve begins cutting interest rates while the underlying economy is still firm, according to Goldman … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Bubble, National Real Estate | 71 Comments

August Market Stats

From the Record: NJ real estate update: Home prices rose in August, but interest rates dipped Of New Jersey’s 21 counties, eight of them saw more listings compared with August 2023, and four counties saw more new listings compared with … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate | 46 Comments

Prices to fall? Maybe?

From MSN: These housing markets are poised for a downturn — and they’re not in Florida or Texas ome buyers are contending with record-high home prices across most of the U.S., but some markets are poised for a correction and could offer … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate, NYC | 119 Comments

Can’t afford a house? How about a trailer?

From MyCentralJersey.com: ‘It’s not your grandma’s trailer’: Mobile homes are affordable solution to homebuyer woes Cesar Gaona Jr.’s story is a familiar one. A native of the Avenel section of Woodbridge in his late 20s, he was excited to buy … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, Demographics, Economics, Housing Bubble, New Jersey Real Estate | 49 Comments