Tag Archives: The+Fed

Case Shiller at the end of 2014

Today’s Case Shiller numbers show a mixed bag of data.  There are some very strong indicators that the market is ready to break out; 8 cities were up over last month and the average annual appreciation was 4.5%.  Moreover the … Continue reading

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Market Update: The Conejo Valley and Beyond

Wow, where to start.  As is with communities across our great land, when a large employer announces substantive changes to the number of people they are going to employ in that area, every aspect of the local economy is affected.  … Continue reading

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The Latest From Case-Shiller And Thoughts On The Economy

The latest Case-Shiller Home Indices came out yesterday and there were few surprises.  Price appreciation declined in almost every market, a fact that suggests that home values are stabilizing.  This should come as no surprise since for most markets the first … Continue reading

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The Emperor Has No Clothes; Or Why Aren’t The Pundits Looking At Inventory?

I know, I know, I’m pounding the inventory drum to death.  I guess I just can’t help it; it’s just so painfully obvious.  Do you remember the Hans Christian Andersen story of the emperor who is persuaded by a swindler … Continue reading

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Some Thoughts On Bernanke, Interest Rates And The State Of The Market

Today, the National Association of Realtors’ pending homes sales data, representing June’s homes entering contract, showed a decline of .04%.  Analysts expected a smaller decline of .01%.  The Decline is being blamed on a combination of low inventory (can’t go … Continue reading

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Thoughts On Interest Rates And Housing

Mortgage rates have risen 1.10% since May and while 1% may not sound like much, it represents an increase of 67% and that does sound like a lot.  Effectively rising interest rates means a home buyer can afford less and … Continue reading

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Something To Keep In Mind

Yesterday was an interesting day for anyone involved with real estate.  Whether you’re a Realtor, mortgage broker, buyer or seller, the events of May 28 were pretty incredible.  As is the story on the last Tuesday of every month, the … Continue reading

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Legend Of The Fall, Or How Nate Shapell Made A Million Bucks In A Morning

Before I was a Realtor selling resale homes, I was a builder’s representative; I sat at a model home complex and sold tract homes.  I was fortunate to have married into a family that worked for a large home builder … Continue reading

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The Complete Book Of Running and Today’s Real Estate Market

I was a kid when the jogging craze exploded.  The year was 1977 and a new book entitled The Complete Book Of Running was taking America by storm.  It advocated running as a way to stay healthy and that active … Continue reading

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The Housing Recovery: Thank You Fed and Thank You…Banks?

Summer 2012 will be remembered in real estate circles as the summer of no inventory and the return of the building industry.  Yesterday it was reported that housing starts declined by 1.1%; a number that might give pause to many … Continue reading

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