N.J. housing is priciest Median costs highest in nation

After a six-year run-up in housing prices, many households in New Jersey are staggering under heavy monthly shelter costs, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. Among mortgage holders, New Jerseyans in 2005 paid the highest median housing costs in the nation $1,938 a month, including mortgage payments, property taxes, home insurance, condo fees and utilities.
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BUILDER CONFIDENCE DECLINES TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE FEBRUARY 1991

The confidence level of the nation's home builders declined for the eighth consecutive month in September, a reflection of increased sales cancellations and rising inventories of unsold homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The seasonally adjusted HMI stands at 30 this month, down three points from August and down 35 points from a year ago. In the West, the HMI has steadily declined since April and now stands at 38. An HMI below 50 indicates more builders view sales conditions as poor versus good. Newer sites: San Diego hotels - San Diego lasik

National Realtors Assoc. - Home Prices to Fall!

September 18, 2006—Housing prices are expected to continue to have a limited fall throughout 2006, according to testimony submitted by the National Association of Realtors at today’s Senate Banking Committee.
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Housing Starts Drop 5.3 Percent in June

Housing Starts Drop 5.3 Percent in June
(Washington - July 19, 2006) - Total housing starts dropped 5.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.850 million units, according to figures released by the Commerce Department today. This was 11.0 percent below the pace of a year ago.
Single-family housing starts were down 6.5 percent for the month to a pace of 1.486 million units, a 13.8 percent drop from the June 2005 pace. Multifamily housing construction was up 0.3 percent for the month to a seasonally adjusted pace of 364,000 units.
'NAHB's surveys of single-family builders have been showing a steady decline in confidence since the middle of last year, and builders are acting accordingly. They are slowing their production as market conditions and demand cool down,' said David Pressly, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Statesville, N.C. "

Home prices could start falling

USATODAY.com - Home prices could start falling: "Home prices could start falling

By Noelle Knox, USA TODAY
For the first time in more than a decade, home prices could start to fall around the country in coming months, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday after a report showed that sales of existing homes fell in June and the number of homes for sale soared to their highest point since 1997.

Condo prices are already being hit: They fell 2.1% from June last year to a median $226,900 (median means half cost less and half cost more). Prices of single-family homes edged up 1.1% in June to $231,500. With a 6.8-month supply of single-family homes on the market and an eight-month supply of condos, sellers are under more pressure to cut prices, and buyers can be choosy.

David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, said he expects 'price numbers to start deteriorating,' though he still projects home prices will be up 5.3% for the year. "

San Diego Home Prices Fall!

For June '06, the median home price in San Diego fell for the first time in nearly a decade and sales tumbled in Los Angeles County, according to just released real estate figures.

The median price of all homes sold in San Diego last month fell 1% from the same month last year to $488,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

The importance of this, is that the traditionally strongest real estate marketing time is from May through August. For a price drop to occur now,
can only be a harbinger of a much more pronounced drop as we enter into Fall/Winter.

I'm not selling my San Diego home, but have sold all my investment properties.

If one considers the BILLIONS in adjustable loans due for their first adjustment in 2007/8 combined with the huge percentage of 100%loans used to purchase at the height of our market....you have to worry!

But, than again what is so bad about a 20-30% decline in values if we are coming off 100% increase over the last five years?

I'll answer my own question....nothing so bad as long as you were not speculating, purchased beyond your means or refinanced you property at 90% or more of its high value.
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San Diego County home prices take a tumble

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- San Diego County home prices take a tumble: "By Roger M. Showley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
11:45 a.m. June 13, 2006
SAN DIEGO – San Diego County's home prices took their biggest tumble for any spring on record last month, DataQuick Information Systems reported Tuesday.
The median price of all homes sold in May was $490,000, down $15,000 from April, although it was still slightly higher than a year ago.
Snapshot: Home/condo sales May '05– May '06


Sales slowed for the 23rd straight month on a year-over-year basis, reaching 4,217 transactions in new and existing homes and condos.
Local real estate agents reported about seven months' worth of unsold inventory, but argued that the pace of activity reflects a normal market rather than a crash. "

Global property cycle's peaked, Morgan Stanley says - MarketWatch

Global property cycle's peaked, Morgan Stanley says - MarketWatch: "Growing evidence of real-estate 'bust'
Fallout for consumers and corporate profits, eonomist says
E-mail | Print | | Disable live quotes By Chris Oliver, MarketWatch
Last Update: 6:47 AM ET Jun 29, 2006


HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Evidence is mounting that the global property cycle is turning down, as rising interest rates and heightened inflationary pressures combine to put the brakes on demand for real estate, according to a Morgan Stanley report.
The shift ushers in an end to what's been a six-year rally during which the twin forces of globalization and financial innovation fed an upturn in the property cycle that became a worldwide phenomenon, said economist Andy Xie, in an Asia Pacific strategy report released Thursday.
'Due to deflation shocks, global inflation has been low, which allowed major central banks to keep interest rates very low, in turn fueling property,' Xie said. 'As inflation picks up simultaneously around the world, interest rates are rising everywhere, and the property boom is turning into a bust.' "

Interest Rate Up - Equity Down!

Payment Shock in Store For ARM Borrowers, More Foreclosures in Future? - NationalRealtyNews.com: "Payment Shock in Store For ARM Borrowers, More Foreclosures in Future?
Thursday, June 22, 2006 - By Staff Writer, National Realty News

STUART, FL - Many borrowers who mortgaged their homes with adjustable rate mortgages while rates were at historic lows will soon be in store for a payment shock and the economy overall will certainly feel the effects. Some experts say prepare for a rise in delinquency rates and foreclosures.

Bankrate.com reports that over the next 18 months, more than $1 trillion of adjustable-rate mortgages will be hitting their first reset date. Assuming the average loan amount is $200,000, that amounts to 500,000 mortgages. The typical homeowner will be forced to seriously readjust their monthly budget when they go from paying on an interest only loan or a loan with a low starting rate to one that now requires playing catch up on the principal. Many borrowers will simply not be prepared for a sudden change that may require them to pay double more than they paid the previous month for their mortgage. Industry experts say this will fuel another year of increases in mortgage delinquency rates and foreclosures.

The effects will be evident in the economy overall, as well. That consumer who is suddenly paying more for their mortgage - and who is already feeling the heat due to high fuel prices - is most likely forced to cut back on spending money elsewhere - especially for consumer products and services. "
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BUILDER CONFIDENCE Takes a BIG Drop

The confidence level of the nation's home builders continues to decline in 2006, falling this month to its lowest reading since April 1995, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The seasonally adjusted HMI stands at 42, down four points from May's revised reading of 46. An HMI above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good versus poor. According to NAHB, declining demand from investors, rising mortgage interest rates, and continued affordability issues all contributed to the decrease in builders' outlook for the new home market.

All three HMI components declined in June. The component measuring sales expectations declined five points to 50, while the components gauging current single-family sales and buyer traffic decreased to 47 and 29, respectively. Home builder confidence edged down across the nation in June, and in the West builder confidence declined one point to a seasonally adjusted HMI of 61.
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Smart money is leaving the real estate market

Rockford's Newspaper Rock River Times | rockford illinois news information: "Dr. Christopher Thornberg, a member of the forecast staff, told a blog called The Housing Panic: “Actually, what we are seeing is a very typical slowdown in the market so far—there is nothing particularly soft about it (the landing in bubble markets). The claim is that because unit sales are falling but prices are still going up, that this is an unusual slowing. The fact is that most breaking markets start with activity, and it takes three to four quarters for that to take all the wind out of price appreciation. How hard it will be, remains to be seen.”"
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Southern California Forclosures move UP!

Foreclosures Continue to Rise in Southern California, Says Default Research: "Real estate bubble continues to deflate in Southern California, expert says

RISMEDIA, June 20, 2006—The number of foreclosures escalated throughout Southern California, with a rise of 29.09% since January 2006, according to Default Research (www.defaultresearch.com), the rapidly growing real estate research company for foreclosure properties.

While Riverside had the highest increase of 56.45%, San Diego County had an increase of 49%, followed by Los Angeles up 16.2%.
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Rates moving higher!

Inflation Outlook Likely to Push Rates Still Higher
Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - By Staff Writer, The Originator Times
Click to Review

STUART, FL – Mortgage professionals everywhere have been wondering if interest rates will continue to rise and whether the Fed will hike short-term rates for the 17th consecutive time on June 29.
Looking at this week’s key economic briefings and results, all signs points to yes. The Fed will likely increase short-term rates by a quarter of a point. Anticipating this action, the bond market is apt to similarly push long-term mortgage rates higher. "
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Bubble Trouble? What to make of all the real estate trend news

Bubble Trouble? What to make of all the real estate trend news: "Some economists -- typically, those who have staked their professional reputations on being dark-horse skeptics -- are predicting nothing short of a global economic apocalypse. Others -- often those on the take from the real estate industry -- scoff at such dire visions. Don't listen to the doomsayers, they say, 'we're in for a soft landing.'
But how these perspectives affect the average gal with a mortgage or the ordinary dude with a dream of buying his own house is anything but clear. So who do you listen to, and what does it all mean?
On a basic level, the real estate experts can't really quibble about the basic facts: Many once-hot markets are showing signs of a cold front this summer. The Federal Reserve Board is expected to raise interest rates again to ward off inflation, and banks have begun to curb their promiscuous dispensing of risky, low-down loans. These factors will contribute to making real estate less appealing to many investors. Sure, people still need to live in houses, but the people who need to pour extra dollars somewhere may take a breather from speculative acrobatics to search for other investment circuses. (Can you say 'oil futures' three times fast?) "
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Housing Cools Down

Housing Cool-Down Is 'Orderly,' Fed Chief Says: "Housing Cool-Down Is 'Orderly,' Fed Chief SaysBy Tomoeh Murakami TseWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, May 19, 2006; Page D01Confirming what home buyers suspected and real estate sales figures have indicated for months, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday that the U.S. housing market was showing clear signs of cooling off.Bernanke said the slowdown is 'moderate' and 'orderly' and pointed to the overall strength of the economy

Economist Dean Baker of the Center for Economic Policy and Research expressed concern that rising interest rates were squeezing homeowners who took out interest-only and adjustable-rate mortgages. Even when interest rates were at historically low levels, Baker said, stretched buyers were taking out exotic loans to get into pricey homes.

Baker said a rising inventory of homes in the Washington region could fuel a double-digit price decline if interest rates climb higher. Condo prices could fall by as much as 30 percent, and prices of single-family homes could drop by as much as 15 percent, he said.
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Inside Bay Area - Bay Area real estate sales hit 5-year low

Inside Bay Area - Bay Area real estate sales hit 5-year low: "Bay Area real estate sales hit 5-year low
By Eve Mitchell, BUSINESS WRITER



Sundays — the days when many real estate professionals set up open houses — have been a lot quieter lately for Daniel Joe, a Redwood City-based Realtor.
Call it one of the hidden signs of the slowing real estate market, which last month saw the lowest level of Bay Area home sales in five years, according to a report Thursday from DataQuick Information Systems. It started last spring, when sales dropped off as the number of homes on the market began to rise and so did interest rates. Now sales are sliding, interest rates are even higher and prices are increasing at a lower rate.
When the housing market was hot, so was attendance by prospective buyers at open houses. Not so in today's cooling market.
'I don't see a whole bunch of people walking through the properties all at one time,' said Joe, who works at Realty World Hirsch & Associates in Redwood
City.
The Bay Area median price did reach a new record in April, DataQuick said. But the new peak of $628,000 is not that much to get excited about, given that sales volume dropped 25.1 percent from a year ago.
Some 8,358 new and resale condominiums changed hands in the Bay Area last month — the slowest April since 2001 when 7,193 homes were sold, and a 14.2 percent decline from March. "
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San Diego home sales at Five Year Low!

May 16, 2006La Jolla,CA----Home sales in Southern California decelerated in April to their slowest pace since 2001, the result of higher mortgage interest rates and less buyer urgency. Prices rose at a single-digit appreciation rate for the first time in more than four years, a real estate information service reported. A total of 24,748 new and resale homes sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties in April. That was down 16.1 percent from 29,509 in March and down 21.3 percent from 31,431 in April last year. The year-over-year sales decline was the steepest since April 1995, when home purchases slowed 24.0 percent. Last month's sales count was the lowest for any April since 24,120 homes were sold in April 2001. DataQuick's statistics, which go back to 1988, show an average April for the nineteen years saw 23,660 sales. "March and April have shown us that the boom phase of this cycle is behind us, so now it's just a question of how the cycle ends. Right now it looks like changes in the real estate market are happening gradually. But there's a lot of uncertainty among analysts regarding the effect of higher interest rates and how fast the economy is generating demand in regional markets," said Marshall Prentice, DataQuick president.

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Foreclosures Jump 60% in San Diego

First-quarter foreclosure activity in the state jumped to its highest level in two years, including a nearly 60 percent rise in San Diego County, a real estate information service reported Tuesday. "A number of factors are driving defaults higher," said Marshall Prentice, president of La Jolla-based DataQuick. "The main one right now is that home values are rising more slowly than they have been the past couple of years, which makes it more difficult for homeowners to sell their homes and pay off the lender." According to DataQuick, lenders sent 18,668 default notices to California homeowners in the first three months of the year. That's a 23.4 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 28.7 percent jump over the same period last year. In San Diego County, lenders sent 1,533 default notices in the first quarter, a 59.7 percent jump over the same quarter of 2005, when 960 notices were sent.
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San Diego Home Sales DOWN!

For March 2006, The number of homes sold continued to drop across Southern California -- with the exception of Riverside County, which saw a 6 percent increase in home sales.

In San Diego County, there were 4,146 home sales last month. That represents a 17.4 percent drop from the 5,018 sales in March 2005.Across Southern California -- including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties -- there were 29,509 home sales last month, down 9.7 percent from March 2005, when 32,674 homes were sold.

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Housing Market Turns!

Red-Hot Housing Markets Cooling Down(April 12, 2006) -- Housing that last year was selling in a matter of hours — Florida coastline condos, townhouses in Washington, D.C., and desert haciendas in Arizona — are now languishing on the market.Home sales have declined 20 percent in Florida, according to the Florida Association of REALTORS®. And in California, sales dropped 15 percent. Sales were off by 19 percent in Washington. D.C., and down 25 percent around Phoenix. Experts blame a number of factors, including a sell-off among investors, worsening affordability due to soaring property prices and rising interest rates. In Florida, last year’s active hurricane season discouraged some buyers.But economists note that while sales in some markets are weaker, they aren't collapsing — just settling into a normal market pace. Inventories are rising but not to an alarming level, and demand for homes is actually posting gains in cities where prices are still considered bargains, such as Indianapolis and Houston.Source: The Wall Street Journal, by Michael Corkery (04/12/06)

30Yr. Mtg. Rates Moves Higher

McLEAN, VA -- Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market SurveySM in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.49 percent, with an average 0.6 point, for the week ending April 13, 2006, up from last week’s average of 6.43 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.91 percent. The 30-year FRM has not been higher since the week ending July 12, 2002, when it averaged 6.54 percent.The average for the 15-year FRM this week is 6.14 percent, with an average 0.5 point, up from last week’s average of 6.10 percent. A year ago, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.46 percent. The 15-year FRM has not been higher since the week ending June 13, 2002, when it averaged 6.17 percent.

Buying a House - MSN Real Estate

Buying a House - MSN Real Estate: "Los Angeles: The City of Angels has been described as the poster child for how a lack of new housing near employment centers can hurt an economy. Affordable housing has been an issue in the market for years. It's ranked as one of the least affordable places in the country to live, with housing prices consuming 91% of income, according to statistics from John Burns Real Estate Consulting. The median price of an existing single-family home was $568,000 at the end of 2005, the National Association of Realtors reports. Plus, job growth is virtually flat. Together, it's cause for real estate market consultant Gollis to predict that the prices for California coastal markets are topping out in single-family homes. Fortune predicts a drop-off of nearly 8% in housing prices in the next two years, putting it in 95th out of 100 markets for growth. "

Application Volume Drops - OriginatorTimes.com

Application Volume Drops - OriginatorTimes.com: "WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Mortgage Bankers Association released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 7. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 579.4, a decrease of 5.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 612.8 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 5.1 percent compared with the previous week and was down 14.7 percent compared with the same week one year earlier.

The seasonally-adjusted Purchase Index decreased by 4.7 percent to 417.7 from 438.2 the previous week whereas the Refinance Index decreased by 6.6 percent to 1532.4 from 1640.8 one week earlier. Other seasonally adjusted index activity includes the Conventional Index, which decreased 5.0 percent to 854.9 from 900.3 the previous week, and the Government Index, which decreased 10.2 percent to 120.0 from 133.6 the previous week."

Rising inventory of unsold homes points to a cooling of the market

Rising inventory of unsold homes points to a cooling of the market: "
Kathleen Pender
Sunday, April 9, 2006

In another sign that the real estate market is cooling -- but not collapsing -- the inventory of unsold homes in California is roughly double what it was a year ago.
Inventory is calculated by dividing the number of homes for sale in a region by the number of homes that have closed escrow in the past month. It tells you how many months it would take hypothetically to sell all the homes on the market.
Statewide, the inventory of unsold single-family homes in February was 6.7 months, up from 3.2 months in February of last year.

'For the better part of 2005, it was in the 3- to 3.5-month range,' says Robert Kleinhenz, deputy chief economist with the California Association of Realtors. 'We saw a rather dramatic increase at the state level beginning in January of this year and continuing in February.'

Inventories are generally higher in Southern than in Northern California. "

Home Mortgage Jump

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped to 6.43 percent from 6.35 percent during the week ended April 6, according to Freddie Mac.Interest on 15-year fixed loans edged up to 6.10 percent from 6 percent over the same period. Meanwhile, the one-year adjustable mortgage rate rose to 5.57 percent from 5.51 percent; and the five-year hybrid ARM surged to 6.11 percent from 6.02 percent. Source: The Wall Street Journal (04/07/06)

lenders believe a housing bubble

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--About two-thirds of lenders believe a housing bubble exists in the U.S., and half think it has begun to burst or will blow up in the next six months, according to a new survey.A Phoenix Management report, released Tuesday, found 66% of the 92 lenders who took part in the survey believe the country is currently in a housing bubble, up from 46% a year ago."In the minds of lenders, the housing bubble has moved from Loch Ness monster myth status to an economic reality that could have a significant economic impact on the lives of many Americans," said Michael Jacoby, managing director and shareholder of Phoenix Management, an advisory firm that provides turnaround, crisis and interim management and investment banking services.When asked when the bubble might burst, 77% said they believed it would happen within the next 12 months: 30% believe the bubble is already starting to blow up, 20% predict it will happen in the next one to six months, and 27% forecast it in seven to 12 months.If a housing correction occurs, 50% of respondents said they believe prices would decline up to 10%, 43% expect a 20% price decline, and 7% see prices falling up to 30%.The survey found 30% of lenders believe the Northeast region would be hit hardest by a housing correction while 27% believe the West would be affected most.

Housing Bubble Trouble - CBS News

Housing Bubble Trouble - CBS News: "'If something can't go on forever, it won't.'
Herb Stein

With new home sales down 10.5 percent in February, and with home prices declining for the fourth month in a row, it's high time for a sober look at the consequences of a major housing correction. The Federal Reserve, Wall Street economists, and other observers of the U.S. economy are closely watching the housing market because it has been a key driver of economic growth over the past several years.

Roughly a quarter of the jobs created since the 2001 recession have been in construction, real estate, and mortgage finance. Even more important, consumers have withdrawn $2.5 trillion in equity from their homes during this time, spending as much as half of it and thus making a huge contribution to the growth the U.S. economy has enjoyed in recent years (consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of GDP).

But consumers cannot keep spending more than they make. Eventually, home prices will flatten, the flood of 'cash out' refinancings will become a trickle, and consumer spending will slow, as will job creation in housing-related industries. The big question is this: Will the housing sector experience a soft landing and slow the economy or a hard landing that pushes us into recession? "

Stocks jump on new home sales decline -- MSN Money

Stocks jump on new home sales decline -- MSN Money: "New home sales fell 10% from January to February -- and 13.4% from February 2005 -- to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 1.08 million units. The median price of a new home fell to $230,400 from $234,200 and was down for a fifth straight month.
All of the monthly change came in two regions of the country:
The West , down 29.4% from January and 27.8% from February 2005. This region extends from Colorado to the Hawaii and Alaska. California's huge market dominates the statistics, and the drop may mean many buyers are balking at the prices.
The South, down 6.4% from January and nearly 10% from February 2005. The Commerce Department defines the South as a broad arc of states from Delaware to Florida on the East Coast across to Texas and Oklahoma."

Real Estate Double Digit Decline in Values!

By Bob Schwartz, CRS, GRI ©2006 www.brokerforyou.com All rights reserved.

A preview for the Hot US real estate markets??

Shanghai’s housing market into double digit decline!

The LA Times ran a story on March 4th.on the bust of the Shanghai, China, real estate market.

In one of the world’s hottest housing markets, the last three years saw a doubling of prices. Things are now so bad now that thousands of real estate offices have closed, many homeowners have loan amounts that are greater than their properties resale value, recent buyers are fighting with developers to rescind their purchases, and banks are awaiting a wave of mortgage defaults.
Morgan Stanley's chief Asia economist said “Shanghai's housing slump is only going to worsen and imperil a significant part of the Chinese economy”. About the property now under construction, this same economist said "They'll remain empty for years!”

The similarities to our hot US bubble markets, makes me believe this is preview of what we are already starting to experience (though at a much slower pace).
The first signs of trouble in our real estate markets were very subtle and only picked up, or acknowledged, by very few real estate (http://www.brokerforyou.com/blogger/index.html ) professionals. Since mid 2005 the red flags have been quite obvious to even the layperson. Yet, the forever optimistic ‘it’s always a good time to buy’ industry line is embraced by the mass media (they certainly do not want to lose their immense source of real estate advertising revenue) and the naive general public.

In San Diego in particular and most other major metropolitan real estate markets, it’s quite acceptable to acknowledge and embrace the double digit real estate appreciation of the past. Yet, even the thought of depreciation of real estate is looked on with the same disbelief and distain as if a child molester moved in next door.

There is a proven saying in our stock market: “You can never go broke taking a profit.” In many US markets, seasoned investors can still turn a profit. However, if Shanghai’s real estate market is any indication of what awaits the hot US markets…..the window of opportunity is closing very fast!

AbOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, and a CA licensed San Diego real estate broker with. Bob has over 27 years of residential real estate experience, authored a number of published articles and served as an expert witness for San Diego lawyers. You can contact Bob via his highly popular San Diego real estate website.---This work is protected under copyright and may not be published in other works without express written permission from Promotions Unlimited or the following procedures are implemented: Please feel free to publish this article (as long as no changes are made (all hyper-links to remain and not be modified in any way) and the author's name and site URL's are retained) in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at seo711@gamil.com

Home Buliders Report - New Home February Sales Fall

The National Association of Home Builders reported at the end of February that "sales of new single-family homes fell 5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.233 million units in January following upward revisions to the November and December rates.The January sales rate was 3.3 percent above a year ago."

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Mortgage Rates Hit Highs

Long-term Mortgage Rates Highest Since September 2003

McLEAN, VA -- Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market SurveySM (PMMSSM) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.37 percent, with an average 0.6 point, for the week ending March 9, 2006, up from last week's average of 6.24 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.85 percent. The 30-year FRM has not been higher since September 5, 2003, when it was 6.43 percent. Search the entire San Diego MLS for your ideal home.

San Diego real estate bubble

San Diego #11 Riskiest Real Estate Market!

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The Big Players - Tell The Truth - Risky Real Estate

Countrywide Mortgage CEO Angelo Mozilo believes that the "housing market officially turned south in January," according to Banc Investment Daily, and that some overheated markets may see prices plunge by up to 40 percent. Mozilo mentioned Las Vegas as one of those risky markets.
PLUSThe Associated Press reported .... “The five-year housing boom is indeed over, judging from growing statistical evidence and the performance of some of the nation’s leading builders, and the slowdown is already rippling through the economy. Explanations for the recent cooling-off vary.”Please be sure to visit our Del Mar Encinitas real estate site. Also, a new site we are developing is: San Diego dentist Be sure to have a look.

San Diego real estate investors . . . Facts NOT Opinion!

San Diego real estate investors . . . ‘Know when to fold them’
By Bob Schwartz, CRS, GRI ©2006 www.brokerforyou.com All rights reserved.

The Commerce Department reported Monday that sales of new single-family homes dropped by 5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.233 million units last month.

More importantly, this is the second time in three months that housing sales have dropped! This 5 percent drop was under the 7 percent November drop.

Another important fact that this report showed was a 5.2 month supply of new homes in January. This is up 2.5 percent from the December ’05 figures and an astounding 20 percent from the same figures one year ago (January ’05)!

AbOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, and a CA licensed San Diego real estate broker with. Bob has over 27 years of residential real estate experience, authored a number of published articles and served as an expert witness for San Diego lawyers. You can contact Bob via his highly popular San Diego real estate website.---This work is protected under copyright and may not be published in other works without express written permission from Promotions Unlimited or the following procedures are implemented: Please feel free to publish this article (as long as no changes are made (all hyper-links to remain and not be modified in any way) and the author's name and site URL's are retained) in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at seo711@gamil.com

New Home Buyer are Backing Out!

Read the excerpt below as another major news organization reports the FACTS! …..
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writerFebruary 24, 2006: 2:49 PM ESTNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Home builders are growing concerned about an increasing number of cancelled new home orders, which experts say could be a sign of an underlying weakness in the recent run in home prices.
Specifically, the cancelled orders could be the latest warning sign that buyers who were turning to real estate as an investment, rather than for their own housing needs, are shifting out of real estate. And that could mean that in many hot markets, the air is about to come out of over-inflated real home prices overall.

AbOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, and a CA licensed San Diego real estate broker with. Bob has over 27 years of residential real estate experience, authored a number of published articles and served as an expert witness for San Diego lawyers. You can contact Bob via his highly popular San Diego real estate website.---This work is protected under copyright and may not be published in other works without express written permission from Promotions Unlimited or the following procedures are implemented: Please feel free to publish this article (as long as no changes are made (all hyper-links to remain and not be modified in any way) and the author's name and site URL's are retained) in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at seo711@gamil.com

San Diego Home Sales Plunge!

Biggest San Diego Home Sales Plunge!

San Diego home sales took the largest drop ever recorded in January 2006! Sales were off 31% from December 2005! This was the lowest monthly sales since January 1998, when these records were first tracked!
From January 2005 the loss was 26.8%, and marked the seventh month in a row where home sales were lower than the year before.

Also, the sales price to list price ratio for single-family homes has also continued to fall.

For well over 18 months now I’ve been predicting a deflation cycle in San Diego. Now as the hard facts are actually showing up the ‘industry’ has changed stragerty from pooh-poohing the coming fall to now predicting a ‘short term softening’ of our market.

Believe what you will, but after a ten year spectular ride up, with the last five years actually doubling most home values, do you really believe the down side will be over in a few months? Our last down cycle in San Diego ran from approximately 1990 to 1995.

My prediction for San Diego real estate is that the downward cycle has only begun. Be sure to fasten your seatbelt.

Pending Home Sales Index Down

Wednesday, February 01, 2006WASHINGTON,D.C. – Pending home sales continue to according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* based on contracts signed in December, was down 3.0 percent to a level of 116.4 from 120.0 in November, and is 5.5 percent below December 2004. Pending sales have trended steadily down from a record index of 129.2 last AugustThe index in the West fell 8.1 percent to 117.1 in December and was 11.8 percent lower than a year ago.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, and a CA licensed San Diego real estate broker You can contact Bob via e-mail at bob@brokerforyou.com or visit his highly popular San Diego real estate website. -

This work is protected under copyright and may not be published in other works without express written permission from Promotions Unlimited or the following procedures are implemented: Please feel free to publish this article (as long as no changes are made (all hyper-links to remain and not be modified in any way) and the author's name and site URL's are retained) in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bob@websitetrafficbuilders.com

San Diego Housing Market Heads South

San Diego Housing Market Heads South

Bob Schwartz, CRS, GRI ©2005 www.brokerforyou.com All rights reserved.

Nothing down, variable interest rate, EZ qualification, stated income.These are the common lending terms that many believe have kept our super-heated market going. As the stories of fast home appreciation proliferate, the desire to get into our local housing market by those who hesitated in the past, have escalated.This is typical of any bull market, be it the stock or housing market.

The paradigm changes this time. There is a huge increase in zero down and adjustable rate loans being pushed on poor credit risk borrowers and first time buyers (below market start/qualifying), as well as move up buyers being induced to purchase homes that otherwise are far beyond normal qualifying loan guidelines!The majority of the new adjustable loans have artificially low start rates for the first year or two, interest only payment terms, and are indexed to volatile interest rate indexes. This is setting the stage for a huge decline in home values.

One local major lender recently stated that they had no fixed rate purchase loans in process; all their new purchase loans were adjustable! Further, over 50% of their new purchase loans were zero down! Combine this with the popular 'stated income' loans and it's easy to see how these policies have kept our market propped up. (A stated income loan basically means if the buyer has good credit, the amount of their stated income is NOT verified for qualification purposes.)

While a huge housing value decline seems unnatural to many, this phenomenon was last seen locally in the mid-90's! At that time, an approximate 20% housing depreciation took many by surprise. The easy loan practices today, the double digit housing appreciation of the past few years, and irrational enthusiasm, clearly signals another approaching decline in the San Diego housing market!

How bad could such a decline be? A number of local lenders state that the majority of their loans for the past few years were zero down, adjustable loans. With the slow but steady rise in interest rates, San Diego real estate could be facing a decline in housing values that could dim the 20% decline of the mid-90's!By any measure, our local San Diego real estate market is more at risk than any time in recent memory.

Though housing bubbles may last far beyond anyone's expectations, now may well be a time to reconsider any new purchase. Purchasing one's first home is not something one should try to time or tie into projections on the local housing trend. Just be cautious! Stay well within your normal qualification ratios. Except under certain conditions, avoid E/Z qualification and adjustable, zero down loans. Start out modestly with a smaller home or condominium that you can easily afford.

No one can predict the future trend of any major market with certainty. However, caution is advised in San Diego housing as the multitude sing the siren song of never ending double digit housing appreciation.

ABOUT THE AUTHORBob Schwartz, is a Certified Residential Specialist, CA licensed real estate broker with www.Brokerforyou.com. Bob has over 27 years of residential real estate experience, authored a number of published articles and served as an expert witness for San Diego legal firms. You can contact Bob via e-mail at bob@brokerforyou.com or visit his highly popular San Diego real estate website at: http://www.brokerforyou.com

This work is protected under copyright and may not be published in other works without express written permission from Promotions Unlimited or the following procedures are implemented: Please feel free to publish this article (as long as no changes are made (all hyper-links to remain and not be modified in any way) and the author's name and site URL's are retained) in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bob@websitetrafficbuilders.com