Hedging One’s Home Energy Bets Will the concept of hybrid cars, powered by dual energy sources, give rise to “hybrid homes?” In a sense, modern homes already are hybrids — at least by one definition. So, at least in the Twin Cities, it’s typical for the appliances and central air to be powered by electricity, while...Read More
(The Term, Not the Type of Deal) In a post earlier this year titled, “Halftime at the Housing Recovery,” I posited that one sign that the housing market has fully recovered is that the percentage of lender-mediated sales (foreclosures and short sales) returns to pre-bust levels (5% or less). Want another sign? The term, “traditional...Read More
Is the Twin Cities housing market shifting gears? Put it this way: the public perception certainly has. See, “Twin Cities Home Prices Up; Traditional Sales Strengthen.” In fact, the market does feel different this spring. The weekly Broker meetings — always a good litmus test of market trends — have devoted more time to dealing with...Read More
Backdoor Price Increase Perhaps the key issue in housing at the moment — besides the just-released March Case-Shiller numbers showing that housing nationally touched a new low — is the initiative by lenders and some in Congress to mandate 20% down payments. In theory, the proposal makes a lot of sense: Buyers who put down 20%...Read More
Buyer Psychology Is the housing market in for a double dip? That seems to be the topic du jour, in the wake of the latest Case-Shiller numbers showing renewed market weakness virtually across the country. Personally, I don’t know if that’s in the cards. However, I do think there’s a self-fulfilling quality to the discussion. Namely,...Read More
