Archive for September, 2009Housing Perspective: July Case/Shiller Home Price IndexThe housing market got another boost this morning, as July’s S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index registered its biggest monthly increase in almost four years. The 20-city index rose 1.2% in July from the month before, the biggest jump since October 2005, according to Bloomberg. Even though the monthly price figures have been increasing now for [...] Deal or No Deal RESULTS: Tend Your Crops in Noe ValleyCirios Verdict: DEAL (Click here for the original Deal or No Deal post) The subject is located at the far southern tip of Noe Valley in San Francisco. The homes does not have a garage which makes it less desirable than most of the other SFRs on the market. In addition, the home has quite [...] Housing Perspective: August New Home SalesMarket imbalances are resolved through two primary mechanisms: Time and price. To be sure, the imbalance in new homes remains, despite a recent uptick in buying activity in real estate markets across the country. And as builders slash prices and time drags on, slowly but surely the backlog of newly constructed homes is being worked [...] Housing Perspective: August Existing Home SalesThe resolve of the nascent US housing market recovery is about to be put to the test. Existing home sales slipped in August, breaking a string of four straight months of rising sales. Purchases fell 2.7% in August from the month before, which was below analysis expectations, according to Bloomberg, One kernel of good news [...] Deal or No Deal: Tend Your Crops in Noe ValleyFor anyone in the market for a single family residence in Noe Valley under $1 million, pickings are slim, at best. Condos, sure, they’re a dime a dozen as the Noe Valley condo market follows rents off the proverbial cliff, but the attractive single family home for less than 7 figures is a rare find [...] Keepin’ It Real Estate: Just How Hot Is the Housing Market?This post first appeared on Minyanville. It seems that with each passing month, the data gods deliver more and more evidence that the woe begotten US housing market may finally be emerging from its years-long doldrums. Existing home sales: Up. New home sales: Up. Pending home sales: Up. Home prices: Down, but at a slower [...] Housing Perspective: July Pending Home SalesHomes under contract to buy rose in July for the sixth straight month, reaffirming the widely held view that the worst of the housing market correction is behind us. The index of pending home sales rose 3.2% from the month before, according to Bloomberg. Even Mark Zandi, the famously bearish chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, [...] Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market – September 2009In this month’s issue, check out: The State of the Markets – 9/1/2009 Housing inventory set to rise. The culprit? Seasonality. Ciriosly Green: Why Energy Efficiency Matters Your home has hidden value just waiting to be unlocked. Zip Code Spotlight: El Cerrito – 94530 Is Berkeley’s neighbor to the north heating up? Feature: The Future [...] The State of the Markets – 9/1/2009This post first appeared in the September edition of Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market If history has its way, housing inventory is set to rise. And for all the potentially complex and controversial explanations for this coming bump in homes listed for sale, Occam’s razor will likely hold: The simplest [...] Ciriosly Green: Why Energy Efficiency MattersThis post first appeared in the September edition of Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market Improving your home’s energy efficiency doesn’t just help the environment — it allows you to unlock hidden value just waiting to be tapped. Ask most homeowners, or anyone for that matter, what pops into their mind [...] Zip Code Spotlight – 94530 – El CerritoThis post first appeared in the September edition of Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market This month’s zip code spotlight shines on 94530, in El Cerrito, CA, located about 5 minutes north of Berkeley. Schools are excellent and crime is low, especially when compared to El Cerrito’s neighbor to the north, [...] Feature: The Future of the First Time Homebuyer Tax CreditThis post first appeared in the September edition of Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market For all you first time homebuyers rushing out to buy a home before the current $8,000 federal tax credit disappears in December, perhaps now is the time to stop, breathe deeply and assess your financial situation [...] First Time Homebuyer Spotlight: Which Lender is Right For You?This post first appeared in the September edition of Cirios Trends: Getting to the Bottom of the Housing Market One question almost every first time homebuyer asks us is: “Who should I talk to about getting a mortgage?” The easy answer is: “Whoever gives you the best rate and terms.” While this answer does have [...] |