Economy

Aug
13

Woah, Nelly. That is some growth.

Posted In: Economy, El Cerrito, Local Market Statistics, Neighborhoods
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Hold on, everyone. The headline in the paper this morning says “East Bay population continues to grow.” 2.5 million. Yessiree, 2.5 million peeps living in the good ol’ East Bay. 2007: 22,805 new people joined our culturally rich, food-savvy, have-you-changed-out-your-flourescent-lightbulbs-yet community. That is enough people to fill the city of El Cerrito alone. This is an increase of 0.93% from [...]
Feb
03

Catch me on Forum- NPR Radio

Posted In: Economy, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News
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On January 25th I was part of a panel on KQED’s Forum. “In light of ongoing housing woes and with real estate sites popping up daily on the internet, we look at the evolving role of the realtor.” Host: Dave Iverson Guests: Enrico Moretti, associate professor of economics at UC Berkeley and co-author of “Can Free Entry Be Inefficient? Fixed [...]
Jan
24

Welcome back

Posted In: Economy, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News
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After returning to work from a nice, long holiday vacation, what do I see in the headlines? 1. “Feeling Misled on Home Price, Buyers Sue Agent.” 2. “Foreclosures are up by 67.8% nationwide.” 3. “World Braces for Subprime Fallout.” 4. “Hold on for a Recession.” Wow, this is depressing. No wonder the housing market is in trouble. Look at what [...]
Apr
10

Don’t let those credit bureaus exploit you!

Posted In: Economy, General Real Estate News
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Here are some facts about credit bureau’s: 1. Credit bureaus sell elads to banks and mortgage companies 2. Pricate information divulged includes address, phone number, and credit score 3. Banks pay $25 – $100 per lead 4. No legislation exists yet to prevent bureaus from selling leads 5. Onslaught of unsolicited marketing as soon as the loan application si submitted [...]
Jan
05

Where will the market go in 2007?

Posted In: Economy, Local Market Statistics
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This just in…California, on average, will post a decline in appreciation. It was bound to happen: what goes up, must come down. But just how far down are we talking? It depends on who you ask. The California Association of Realtors believe the median home price in California will decline 2% to $550,000 in 2007 compared with $561,000 for 2006; [...]
Oct
24

Mr. Bubble is for the tubs: 2007 Market Forecast

Posted In: Economy, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Local Market Statistics
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Hmmmm…so the results are in. The median home PRICE in California is expected to drip, er, drop 2% in 2007 while home sales will drop 7% compared to 2006. But what about us here in the Bay Area? Chris Thornberg, an economist with Bay Area-based Beacon Economics claims “The market is flat and the bubble has popped.” Ouch, that is [...]