The housing market question with no easy answer

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on November 16, 2009 at 7:26 am

Barry Ritholtz asks it:

If stabilization comes only through government subsidies and artificially propped up home prices, is it truly stabilization?

You could ask similar questions of the auto industry and a few other sectors of today’s economy. The folks who months ago said we ought to bite the bullet in housing and banking in order to more quickly begin an authentic recovery — albeit from a slightly deeper hole — are looking wiser with every passing day.

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Tags: Barry Ritholtz, economic indicators, government intervention, housing market, residential real estate  

Seeing red

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on November 5, 2009 at 11:23 am

Barry Ritholtz passes on a graphic we’d all like to see be much blander.

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Tags: Barry Ritholtz, economic indicators, recession, unemployment  

The types of homes that are actually selling

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on October 28, 2009 at 8:06 am

Barry Ritholtz passes on some numbers about just where the rise in home sales is coming from this fall. Which raises the question of whether the housing market really is ready to stand on its two feet again. Those commenting here are of a pretty firm opinion that it isn’t.

Let’s think for a moment…70% of September sales $250,00 and under. Well of course! The $8,000 credit almost covers the down payment in this range (FHA 3.5%.) Now with a $15,000 credit we can start to move some of those @ $500,000.

Give me a break…

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Tags: Barry Ritholtz, economic indicators, housing market, residential real estate, The Big Picture