When Bearishness is Bullish As the 2017 housing market officially gets underway, at least a few Realtors are dealing with Buyers haunted by the post-2008 housing crash — and the fear that something like that could happen again. How warranted are those fears? Housing Market Vital Signs: Checklist Unfortunately, bubbles are usually only obvious in retrospect...Read More
Cheaper More Expensive By the Dozen Usually, the more of something you have to sell, the cheaper it is. That’s just basic, “supply-and-demand” — Economics 101. So, when is that not the case? When it comes to rental properties in today’s housing market. Buyer’s vs. Seller’s Markets Currently, there is a huge disconnect between what duplexes and...Read More
Low Interest Rates — Then & Now Three (four?) years into the housing market downturn, what conclusion is it possible to draw? In retrospect, it seems obvious (at least to me) that it was a liquidity-driven phenomenon. Add a tsunami of cash, subtract any vestige of underwriting standards, and real estate will go up. Subtract...Read More
Stopping the Runaway Foreclosure Train The [mortgage modification] rules now being applied . . . have a Goldilocks quality. To get a modification a borrower has to need it a lot, but not too much. If the home is “underwater” ” worth less than the balance of the loan securing it ” but the borrower...Read More
