Preshocks in the Housing Market – Alpha – The housing markets took an earthquake in 2007 and 2008, which then slammed into the broader financial markets and the global economy. Today, there are some additional vibrations, and it’s unclear whether these are (benign) aftershocks, or troubling and more likely, preshocks for a 2010 earthquake. … I’d say we’re only in the 5th or 6th inning of the deflationary collapse (barring the eventual inflationary exit)… … – has thoughts – Risk Over Reward Blog
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Private Equity Groups Investing in Mortgage Operations – by C.M. “Corky” Watts, CMB – MortgageNewsDaily
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NAR Pending Home Sales Plummet – by Daniel Indiviglio – … Its Pending Home Sales Index dropped a whopping 16% in November compared to October. It’s still 15.5% higher than it was a year ago, but the month-over-month decline is troubling since the trend had been consistently positive for some time. … – this is significant has reasons – The Atlantic
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10 great charts – A New Year’s Guide of 10 Key Charts To See Before You Buy A Home – Michael White – New Observations
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Beth Court Series – Optimism Is Fresh Arrival in California Cul-de-Sac – By JENNIFER STEINHAUER – … Pockets of America are haltingly on the mend, and the Beth Court cul-de-sac here is one of them. A dozen lives unraveled on the block during the recession; now the empty houses are full, and Mr. Winkler and the other fathers are working again. … – NY Times
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Prime mortgages are next hurdle – Rising joblessness is undermining homeowners with the best credit – By Kathleen M. Howley and Mike Dorning – … an increase in mortgage defaults among prime borrowers in 2009 is likely to accelerate this year, slowing the real estate recovery even as Americans become more optimistic about the economy, said Robert Shiller and Karl Case, the economists who created the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. … – Boston.com