Category: News

By Mike Colpitts Half way through the first year of his administration, President Barack Obama has major problems still brewing with the economy triggered by the real estate crash. Hardly anyone expected the Obama Administration to pull off miracles and resolve the troubled economy rapidly. But hopes seem to be diminishing for a turnaround any… Continue reading Bold Steps Needed in Foreclosure Epidemic

By Mike Colpitts Oh, how I hope the majority is wrong! The Bush Administration is handing over a proposal to Congress for the U.S. government to buy stock in America’s two biggest insurers of home mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The plan would buy stock to keep them afloat, and essentially transforms both companies… Continue reading US Government to Buy Stock in Fannie and Freddie

By Cathy Salustri New Urbanist communities recreate mid-20th century America with every detail so residents can enjoy the quintessential small town. Architects design the towns for walking and biking rather than driving, but nearly 30 years after the New Urbanism movement started communities are experiencing their challenges. New Urbanism started in Seaside, Florida in 1979… Continue reading New Urbanist Neighborhood Pitfalls

By John Hines Economist Historians will write the current economic recession was the worst heist in U.S. history, capturing more victims than any other financial crisis. Wall Street and bankers fleeced more money out of the pockets of investors from stocks, securities and real estate mortgages than thought imaginable. The Security and Exchange Commission was… Continue reading Playbook to Real Estate Recovery

The worst housing depression since at least the Great Depression has a long way to go before improving, despite better home sales, according to the annual Joint Center for Housing Studies report of Harvard University. With mortgage interest rates heading higher and the economy contracting a sustained recovery faces stiff opposition. Home equity fell by… Continue reading Harvard Study Shows Slow Return

Propelled by the nation’s worst epidemic of foreclosures on the heels of the most liberal mortgage underwriting in history, the percentage of home ownership has fallen to a new 20 year low. The rate of homeownership soared to its highest level of 69.1% during the real estate boom in 2005 only to see the worst… Continue reading Rise and Fall of Homeownership

  By Paul Kleiman Homes designed by Richard Neutra, highly regarded as one of the leading architects of the 20th Century have been demolished to build new houses. Many people aren’t happy about any teardown deemed to threaten the character of a neighborhood. But whether the home is an architectural treasure or a 1,200 square… Continue reading Tearing Down the House

By John Hines Economist The new economy ushered in by the nation’s financial crisis is developing a growing nation of haves and have-nots. Many of the have-nots are unemployed or under-employed. The foreclosure epidemic is delivering growth in homelessness as a side effect of the housing bust. The homeless population is growing amid the wreckage… Continue reading Have-Nots Growing in New Economy