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HousingIntelligence Spotlight: Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.26.2007 Today I decided to turn my attention to one of the markets in the country that seems to be defying most of the housing woes. The Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA is one of the gems of the south and has benefited from growth in recent years. However, the prospects going forward reveal the need for some caution in the months ahead. According to our most recent Housing Prospects Index, Charlotte ranks 143 out of 361 MSAs for having the best prospects for housing over the next 3-5 years. While that is definitely in the top half of the class, its prospects don’t look as great as its recent history. No comments for this item Read more...

Rise in New Home Sales Not Surprising Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.25.2007 The Commerce Department released the preliminary new home sales data for September today along with revisions to the previously reported August sales. New home sales in September increased 4.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 from a revised 735,000 in August. Previously the August rate of sales had been reported as 795,000. No comments for this item Read more...   Expect Existing Home Inventories to Remain High Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.24.2007 The National Association of Realtors released the September existing home sales report today. According to the report, total existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – fell 8.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million units in September from a downwardly revised 5.48 million in August. The sales results are not surprising as they represent a continuation of what we have been seeing—existing home sales are slower and the pace appears to have slowed even further in September. While headlines are grabbing the stark contrasts to 2006 and prior, it’s actually somewhat comforting to note that despite such upheaval in the credit markets we are seeing a pace of existing home sales that we have seen before—as recently as January 2001. No comments for this item Read more...   HousingIntelligence Spotlight: Denver-Aurora, CO Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.23.2007 A subscriber recently asked us to focus attention on Denver, so in this post we’ll run through what our reports and data currently have to say about Denver. I first started with a macro perspective and asked, “Is now a good time to invest in housing in Denver relative to other markets?” Looking at our Housing Prospects Index report, the Denver-Aurora, CO MSA ranks 166 out of 361 markets. No comments for this item Read more...   Premiums and Sales Paces Are Real Determinants of Builder Confidence Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.19.2007 On Tuesday, NAHB and Wells Fargo released their monthly survey results of Builder Confidence. According to their release, builder confidence was further shaken in October due to continuing problems in the mortgage market, substantial inventories of unsold units, and the perceived effect that negative media coverage is having on potential buyers. The HMI fell two more points to 18 in October, its lowest point since the series began in January of 1985. Given its new lows, perhaps it should be renamed the Builder Funk Index. After all, when the index is below 50, it represents that more than half of builders are depressed about current conditions and near term prospects. No comments for this item Read more...   Existing Home Prices Fight Decline in Cleveland Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.16.2007 One of our first inquiries about Neighborhood Insights came from someone interested in Cleveland, which of course made me interested in Cleveland beyond their strong performance thus far in the ALCS. I started looking at home price trends by month from 2004 to the present. What I saw supports the notion that home prices, especially existing home prices, are sticky. No comments for this item Read more...   Mother Necessity Helped Us Build Neighborhood Insights Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    10.11.2007 This is a big day at HousingIntelligence. Today we are turning on a powerful new application that is the culmination of years of frustration and scratching our heads about how to get good and consistent housing intelligence for every market of interest down to the neighborhood level. As they taught us in elementary school and on School House Rock, necessity is the mother of invention. To the thinking of serious housing professionals like us, we are in severe need of better and more comprehensive housing intelligence. Move over Thomas Edison. No comments for this item Read more...

More... Where Are the Recession Proof Housing Markets? CME Four Year Price Decline Predictions Reviewing the Prospects of “Bounce-Back” Cities Two New Reports and September Market Reports Available New Home Sales Report Repeats the Same Message Rising Inventories Are the Main Concern Greenspan Doing His Part to Drive Home Prices Down Further Declines in Permits and Starts Are the Right Medicine Top 20 Housing Markets to Avoid In Search of the Best Markets for Future Housing Returns

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