Category Archives: Ping.fm

Existing Home Sales: Benchmarking FAQ

In the 2010 Census, a long-form questionnaire was not used. Therefore, the Census no longer asked about whether people moved and bought a home. So another brand new benchmarking process is needed. NAR has already been in contact with all … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

…”Home ownership makes sense for most Americans, particularly at today’s lower prices and bargain interest rates.”–Warren Buffett

Something positive! The famously successful Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway made his observation a month ago in his annual letter to shareholders. The Oracle of Omaha is certainly aware of the state of the housing market and added: “A housing recovery … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

Census 2010: Households, Housing Stock, and Vacant Housing Units: Understanding Why Demographers Drink

A lot of negative news on housing, working hard to find something positive. TKS   by Tom Lawler If one were to assume that the current “excess supply” of housing was around 1.75 million, and that the net housing stock … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

‘Upward drift’

‘Upward drift’ One reason for concern about the Realtors’ data is that when assessing the outlook for future sales, forecasters rely heavily on the inventory of homes on the market, which is generally expressed in number of “months’ supply.” That … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN FEBRUARY

NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN FEBRUARY 2011Sales of new single-family houses in February 2011 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

U.S. February Existing Home Sales Fall to 4.88 Million Rate

March 21 (Bloomberg) — Sales of U.S. previously owned homes dropped more than forecast in February and the median purchase price declined to the lowest since April 2002, indicating the housing market is struggling to recover. Purchases decreased 9.6 percent … Continue reading

Posted in Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

ECONOMIC REPORTS this Week

ECONOMIC REPORTS Data will include existing home sales for February (Monday); new home sales for February (Wednesday); durable goods orders for February and initial jobless claims (Thursday); and gross domestic product for the fourth quarter and the Thomson Reuters/University of … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

Home construction slows to a crawl Building pace is far below the level economists consider healthy

WASHINGTON — Builders broke ground last month on the fewest homes in nearly two years and cut their requests for permits to start new projects to a five-decade low. The decline in construction activity is the latest evidence that the U.S. housing … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate, Warranty Service | Leave a comment

Saving the homeownership ideal

Pundits and economists across the political spectrum are now bemoaning America’s homeownership “fetish.” I understand the pushback. This view of homeownership as a U.S. birthright contributed to the housing bubble, which, when it burst, exacerbated the financial crisis. But homeownership … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment

An Improving But Fragile Housing Market

Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee yesterday, NAHB’s Chief Economist David Crowe reported on the state of the nation’s housing markets and urged caution on housing policy issues. These issues include finding definite solutions to the issue of the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), … Continue reading

Posted in Home Building, Ping.fm, Real Estate | Leave a comment