Housing Market and the Economy
Will the coming of spring and summer, typically the strong seasons for home buyers and sellers, spell relief for the housing market?
Books
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The Housing Boom and Bust by
A plain explanation of how we got into the economic disaster that developed out of the economics and politics of the housing boom and bust.
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Sell Now! by
Analyses the evidence and offers clear explanations of these perplexing issues.
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Housing and mortgage markets in historical perspective
The role of the housing market in the recent recession raised questions about similar episodes in economic history.
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Housing and the Financial Crisis by
Housing and the Financial Crisis looks at what happened to prices and construction both during and after the housing boom in different parts of the American housing market.
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Selected Articles
Due to contractual arrangements, access to some articles may be restricted to the Stanford community, and subscribers of the "Library Databases" offered through the GSB Alumni's Lifelong Learning Program. Inclusion below does not imply University endorsement of the ideas expressed.
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Experts weigh in on what the 2018 housing market will bringWashington Post, 1/8/18
Here is a roundup of housing expert's forecasts and what they expect the major trends to be in the coming year. -
6 predictions for the 2018 housing market and economyInman, 12/8/17
Expect slowed price growth and modest improvement in the number of homes for sale. -
Home Sales Surge Despite InventoriesU.S.News & World Report, 11/21/17
Existing home sales ticked up 2 percent last month but were still held back by a lack of options on the market. -
Buyer’s market? Not in housing. Sales slow in key tract of U.S. economyMarketWatch, 10/14/17
By all rights home sales in the U.S. should be booming, but they are not. -
What Will the Housing Market Look Like in the Next Recession?U.S. News & World Report, 9/11/17
The Great Recession technically began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, but many Americans were still dealing with the effects – particularly from the housing market crash – into 2012 and 2013. -
Despite all odds, housing market continues to make gainsHousingwire, 8/7/17
Although home prices are skyrocketing amid housing inventory that is hitting all-time lows, the overall housing market continues to make gains as housing activity picked up in the second quarter. -
What is Causing the Lean Inventory of Houses?FreddieMac, 7/27/17
Nationally, just over five months of supply is for sale and hot markets are much tighter than the national average. So far, residential construction is not doing much to fill the gap. Permits as a share of the population dropped around 70 percent during the housing bust and has yet to fully recover. -
The Similarities and Differences Between the US Housing Market in 2007 and 2017International Banker, 5/15/17
Today’s US housing market is the subject of global debate and speculation. The American dream starts with owning a house, and it does seem that many foreign dreams are going the same way. -
The Housing Market Is Kicking In, Home Builders Should Perform WellSeekingAlpha, 3/22/17
The economy is picking up steam and in some cities it is very possible that there is another bubble in the real estate market. -
Why Falling Home Prices Could Be a Good ThingNew York Times, 2/10/17
Suppose there were a way to pump up the economy, reduce inequality and put an end to destructive housing bubbles like the one that contributed to the Great Recession. -
Housing Outlook 2017: Eight Predictions From The ExpertsForbes, 1/3/17
Here are eight things housing experts expect to see in 2017. -
To those that haveEconomist, 11/12/16
Whereas local housing markets rose and fell together during the housing bubble and bust, the housing recovery which began in America in 2012 has been patchy. -
Silicon Valley Elites Get Home Loans With No Money DownBloomberg, 7/27/16
It turns out that even the well-off need help in a housing market as crazy as the one in the San Francisco Bay area, and lenders are elbowing each other in a rush to provide it. -
Housing Prices Leap; Consumer Spending Rises 1%Marketing Daily, 6/1/16
Housing prices in March were up 5.2% over a year ago and consumer spending in April rose 1% over the previous month — the steepest rise since August 2009 — making Federal Reserve interest rate hike ever more likely in the coming months, analysts say. -
Opinion: The seeds of the next housing crisis have already been plantedMarketWatch, 5/6/16
According to the author, we’re seeing the same telltale signs that we did a decade ago. -
Home 'flipping' exceeds peaks in some hot U.S. housing marketsReuters, 3/3/16
Home flipping - buying and reselling a home to make a quick buck - has risen in some hot U.S. housing markets, prompting concerns that local housing bubbles could be developing. -
More Americans Are Renting, and Paying More, as Homeownership FallsNew York Times, 6/24/15
The nation’s homeownership rate has been falling for eight years, down to 63.7 percent in the first quarter of this year from a peak of over 69 percent in 2004, according to a new report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. -
Where Are the Cities with Good Job Markets and Affordable Housing?WSJ, 6/1/15
The online real estate database Zillow crunched numbers for job and wage growth alongside housing costs in the first quarter of 2015 to land on a “sweet spot” of affordable homes and healthy local economies. -
In Tepid Housing Market, Builders Cater to Desires of Well-OffNew York Times, 2/24/15
Builders are turning to the wealthy as the most reliable market on which to place their bets. -
The Great American Dream, Still DeferredNew York Times, 2/7/15
The housing market has shown signs of life recently. Prices have risen, mortgage rates are very attractive and construction is reviving. But... -
Can Immigrants Save the Housing Market?The Atlantic, 1/8/15
While some remain cynical about homeownership, the U.S.'s foreign-born population still regards it as a symbol of attaining the American Dream. -
Years After the Market Collapse, Sidelined Borrowers ReturnNew York Times, 10/22/14
Through the end of last year, only a tiny sliver of borrowers tarnished by foreclosures and short sales during the economic downturn had bought homes again, according to a study by Experian, one of the Big Three credit reporting bureaus. -
A California Dream: Not Having to Settle for Just One BedroomNew York Times, 9/23/14
Cities across the state are grappling with a dwindling stock of housing that can be considered affordable for anyone but the wealthiest. In much of the state, a two-bedroom apartment or home is virtually impossible to acquire with anything less than a six-figure salary. -
In Home Loans, Subprime Fades as a Dirty WordNew York Times, 6/28/14
Despite the notoriety that subprime loans gained as a prime cause of the financial crisis, they are re-emerging, under much more careful control, as one answer to the tight lending standards that have shut out millions of would-be homeowners. -
Home Prices Start Easing, to the Relief of ExpertsNew York Times, 5/27/14
A steep gain in home prices in many markets that helped lift millions of Americans out of the red on their mortgages is now markedly slowing, with new data from the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller national home price index on Tuesday showing that the annual growth in prices had eased in March to 10.3 percent, from the previous year’s increase of 11.4 percent. -
Why the Housing Market Is Still Stalling the EconomyNew York Times, 4/24/14
Except in a few booming markets, housing is nowhere close to pulling its economic weight. -
The Housing Market With Nowhere to Go (but Up)New York Times, 3/2/14
As technology companies have moved in — more than 5,000 start-ups now make their home locally — the influx of well-paid workers has pushed rents and home prices through the roof. -
Not waving but drowningEconomist, 1/4/14
A radical plan to help “underwater” homeowners makes a comeback. -
Global House Prices Inching UpIMF, December 2013
The housing market is recovering, but real estate in many countries is still overvalued. -
Housing Recovery Seems Still on TrackNew York Times, 9/24/13
The housing market, one of the main drivers of the economic recovery, continues to gain strength despite the drag of rising mortgage rates and other economic headwinds, but some analysts are worried that it may slow in the months ahead. -
Behind the Rise in House Prices, Wall Street BuyersNew York Times, 6/3/13
The last time the housing market was this hot in Phoenix and Las Vegas, the buyers pushing up prices were mostly small time. Nowadays, they are big time — Wall Street big. -
Home Prices Rise, Putting Country in Buying MoodNew York Times, 5/28/13
Americans are in a buying mood, thanks largely to the housing recovery. -
Housing Offers Hope of Strength in the EconomyNew York Times, 1/24/13
A funny thing is happening to the United States housing market. It is getting better at an accelerating rate.
Websites
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National Association of REALTORS (NAR)NAR is a trade association for real estate market. Includes reports on housing and economic statistics.