The senior vice president and chief economist for the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® recently penned an article for Realtor® Magazine titled “Keep a cautious watch”. The three trends he suggests we keep a cautious eye on: ∙ Speculation: This form of investing can be risky when buyers go out... Read More »

Yes, once again it’s the academics squaring off against the Realtors®. Not too surprisingly, they offer two wildly different views. Play along and see if you can match the forecast to the group: 1. edian home prices across the state will rise 15 percent year-over-year in 2005, down from... Read More »

Eric Jansen of Trident Capital waxes poetic on his “Seven Steps” in the boom-bust cycle of housing (not to be confused with the deadly sins or highly effective habits). Although it’s a bit dire, it’s well written and worth a read regardless of your bubble philosophy. And we just... Read More »

It’s official, and the bubblemongers have loudly spoken. HousingBubble.com outsold NoHousingBubble.com by a margin of $2,250 $2,225! (and yes, HousingBubble.com sold for $2,250 $2,225 so you do the math) We’re feeling a bit foolish for investing that $9.49 on the domain registration and eBay listing fees. It’s not an... Read More »

After three bids, the HousingBubble.com domain name sold for $2,225 (slightly below the sellers “buy it now” price of $250,000). Apparently there’s not much “froth” in the HousingBubble domain name market. Only seven hours left in the NoHousingBubble.com auction… Read More »

Realty Baron coined the phrase, we just borrowed stole it. In any case, here’s the auction update: HousingBubble.com: one day left and only one bid of $1,000 (but over 900 gawkers and a couple of “encouraging” comments which kind of freak weird us out) NoHousingBubble.com: no bids, zip, zilch,... Read More »

No doubt you’ve heard that the HousingBubble.com domain name is up for auction. But what happens if a bubble fails to materialize? Well here’s your opportunity to put all those bubblemongers in their place. That’s right, the NoHousingBubble.com domain name is now up for auction! What better way for... Read More »

Entrepreneurs from coast to coast are creating investment funds and ancillary businesses to capitalize on any downturns in the real estate market. One such “opportunity fund” has a stated plan of acquiring “new and converted condominium units purchased by speculators” and then holding them for “extended periods or shorter-term... Read More »

Bubble buzz phrase of the week: ‘Greater Fool Theory‘. Even National Public Radio joined the debate this weekend.  And like the old Saturday Night Live skit, it just begs the questions: who is this fool, just how much money does he have, and shouldn’t somebody warn him? Being sapiosexual... Read More »

James Stewart at SmartMoney hits the nail on the head. If you’re a first-time buyer looking to purchase a primary residence and you can easily afford the down payment, ongoing mortgage, taxes, and upkeep – just do it. Don’t try to time the market, just do it. Current mortgage... Read More »