Home Blog

To Understand Housing Demand, Know Location and Segments Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    02.06.2008 After yesterday’s post where I described the need to understand both the market and segments of demand, I thought it would be useful to write about what really constitutes a single housing market, i.e., where buyers make decisions about their homes. I would argue that the real action takes place in what we refer to as a submarket—a geographic location with relatively similar housing choices and prices. Such a submarket is usually small. It’s smaller than a zip code or a county. No comments for this item Read more...

Even Locally, Several Distinct Housing Markets Exist Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    02.05.2008 The posts last week regarding home sales and optimism about a better 2008, at least for healthy, non-bubble markets, received several comments. In the January 25 post, I presented the idea that we should really look at housing markets across three distinct groups: former bubble markets, healthy non-bubble markets, and economically ailing markets. This item includes 2 comments Read more...   Rating Insights Enables Builders to Better Understand Consumers Market Research Written by Jonathan Smoke    02.01.2008 I am proud to announce the launch of www.RatingInsights.com, a sibling website to HousingIntelligence. After one of our reports or blog posts whets your appetite for the housing industry, you can jump over to RatingInsights for related intelligence with a focus on the opinions and preferences of new home shoppers and buyers. In addition to its reports, RatingInsights offers innovative analytical tools that enable home builders and suppliers to understand their consumers. Both our reports and tools can help builders and suppliers improve their performance and the appeal of their communities and homes. No comments for this item Read more...   Defining a Normal Housing Environment Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    01.29.2008 The S&P/Case-Shiller price indices for November were released today. More of the same. Home prices in the main 10-market composite were down 8.4% from a year earlier. The 20-market composite recorded a 7.7% year-over-year decline. Let me be the first to tell you to expect more of the same next month when December is reported. No comments for this item Read more...   Parsing the Latest New Home Sales Data Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    01.28.2008 Today the Commerce Department reported New Home Sales for December. Sales of new homes decreased by 4.7% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 604,000. The Commerce Department also downwardly revised the November sales to 634,000 from 647,000. According to the Wall Street Journal, economists were expecting a slight increase in December. I don’t know what those economists were smoking but they clearly weren’t paying attention to what was actually happening in new home sales offices around the country. From our vantage point, most builders gave up on 2007 by Thanksgiving. No comments for this item Read more...   A Hope Filled Week Economics Written by Jonathan Smoke    01.25.2008 It has certainly been an interesting week in terms of sentiment and direction for the economy as a whole and housing in particular. Rarely does a Super Bowl entertain with as much momentum shifting as we have seen in the financial markets this week. We started the week with it looking as though the U.S. economy were doomed to recession and would take the world economy with it. We’ve ended the week with a lowered Fed Funds Rate, the possibility of more lowering in the week ahead, and a multifaceted stimulus package being finalized in Congress. No comments for this item Read more...   Bullish on Builders? Builders Written by Jonathan Smoke    01.23.2008 Is it a sign of the apocalypse or simply that a market bottom is in site that the public home builders staged a major rally today? While the Dow Jones Index shrugged off a massive decline to end the day up 2.5%, the public builders were up double digits. XHB, the ETF SPDR from S&P for Home Builders posted a 10.5% increase, while Centex, Pulte and Beazer all posted increases in their share prices over 20%. No comments for this item Read more...

More... On Home Price Risk, Markets Are Far From Equal We Needed Falling Starts and Permits in December Importance of Knowing Today’s Buyer Markets with Weak Prospects Head West for Brighter Prospects Success Favors the Prepared (and Well Researched) Beware of Indices That Track Former Bubble Markets Prices Should Not Fall Much Further in Many Markets Incomes and Affordability Don’t Paint the Entire Picture Demonstrated vs. Estimated Demand

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Results 86 - 102 of 216