KCM Blog

From the category archives:

Pricing

Foreclosure and Delinquency Rates by State

February 26, 2010

There has been much talk recently about the number of foreclosures currently held by the banks and when they may be released to the market. The number has been estimated at approximately 1.7 million properties. I believe that the banks will be forced to bring them to market in the near future.
Why will banks release [...]

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“Dry Your Eyes and Lower the Price”

February 25, 2010

I wish I could take credit for the catchy title to today’s post, but it was actually the headline to a New York Times article last week. It was the story of how sellers are finally accepting the reality of today’s housing market and adjusting their price accordingly. The results prove a point: Today, pricing [...]

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Homeownership: Still the American Dream

February 9, 2010

There seems to be a long held American belief currently under attack. For over two hundred years, homeownership in this country was a desire of almost every American family.  Recently however, more and more people have been pontificating on the fact that owning your own home should never have been held in such high regard.
I [...]

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Let’s Look Past the Headline

February 8, 2010

Some Hopeful Signs in Home Prices
NPR – January 26, 2010
Reports Suggest Housing Market Stabilizing
Philadelphia Inquirer – January 27, 2010
U.S. Economy: Home Prices, Confidence Climb Further From Abyss
Business Week – January 26, 2010
If you read today’s headlines, you might believe that house prices in this country are stabilizing. As usual, I want to peek behind the [...]

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Challenges and Opportunities in Housing

February 5, 2010

A quote from Housing in America: The Next Decade.
“Sooner or later, something fundamental in your business world will change… strategic inflection points do not always lead to disaster. When the way business is being conducted changes, it creates opportunities for players who are adept at operating in the new way. This can apply to newcomers or [...]

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Built on Jenga Blocks, Home Prices Look Shaky

February 2, 2010

The Homebuyers’ Tax Credit, in many ways, has done exactly what it was suppose to do – stimulate the economy. Notice I didn’t say increase home ownership. The tax credit was never really about buyers. It was about keeping home values stable so the housing sector would not have another wave of foreclosures that would [...]

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Moving on Up! Explaining Today’s Home Prices.

January 27, 2010

There are hundreds of news articles and blog posts each day pontificating on the current housing market. Many of these stories try to examine pricing to help determine whether home values are appreciating or depreciating. The authors want to try their best to call the ‘bottom’ of the market based on the data available.
However, there is [...]

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What Happens When the Fed Exits the Market?

January 26, 2010

The Fed is scheduled to exit the housing market this spring. The Home Buyer Tax Credit ends on April 30, 2010 (the date the house must be in contract). The Fed has already announced that their program purchasing mortgage-backed securities will expire on March 31, 2010. Most anticipate a quick and dramatic rise in interest [...]

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Delinquencies: Roadblock to a Housing Recovery?

January 20, 2010

The current economy has devastated the finances of so many families in every income bracket and in almost every neighborhood in this country. More and more people are falling further and further behind in their mortgage payments. In the past people would take a second job or borrow money from family to catch up. Today, [...]

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Are Foreclosures Coming to the Luxury Market?

January 12, 2010

There is no doubt that prices in the lower end of the market have fallen rather dramatically over the last several years. Much of this loss in equity occurred as people were unable to pay their mortgages, and the homes went to foreclosure. Many were quick to dismiss this dilemma as the result of questionable [...]

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