How many homes do you think a real estate agent sells in a year? Ten? Maybe a couple dozen in a really good year? Well, it turns out the median agent does seven “sides” — that is, represents either a buyer or seller in a home transaction — in the course of a year. So it’s pretty remarkable that there’s an agent in Las Vegas who did 931 …
housing
Has America Become a Nation of Squatters?
Before the recession, “squatting” brought to mind Appalachian-style family feuds, wherein the Hatfields camped out for years on end, shotguns cocked, on a remote corner of the McCoy’s acreage., or maybe starving artist
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Does the West Need a New Growth Model?
As shown by yet another global stock selloff, investors have finally woken to the reality that we have not yet recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. Many smart economists had been warning that this time was different, that we …
Fear Factors: 5 Drivers of Today’s Stock Market Decline
Economic data from the past 24 hours — most of it bad — has investors hurdling toward the exits
U.S. Senator Proposes Renting Out Foreclosures
There’s an old Lily Tomlin joke where she says, “Wouldn’t it be great if all the people in New York who talk to themselves were paired off, so it looks like they’re talking to each other?”
In a similar spirit, apparently, …
Are Cash Buyers Making Real Estate Less Risky?
One of the biggest risks to the housing market, many economists have been noting, is the virtual certainty that interest rates will rise, and probably sooner than most people think.
Man Gets $330,000 Home for $16
Thanks to a little-known Texas law, a man found an abandoned $300,000 home, moved his stuff in and filled out some paperwork. It cost him $16. Now, apparently he’s a homeowner.
Why Some Home Sellers Are More Delusional Than Others
Everybody knows that homes on the market are not all priced the same way. Some buyers want to sell in a hurry, so they set their price aggressively low. Others focus on maximizing the return on their housing investment, so they …
Foreclosures Plunged This Year — Why Isn’t That Good News?
Real estate foreclosures — what a mess. Want a visual? Go spill half a can of cola on your kitchen floor. Did it clean itself up? I thought not. The same thing is happening with foreclosures.
Do You Need to Know What Your House is Worth?
Zillow, the third-most-visited real estate website in America, last month decided to spruce up one of its most popular features: its “Zestimates,” or valuations of what properties on its site are worth.
Social Networking Gone Wild: Foreclosure via Facebook
The most distressing content most of us have ever seen on Facebook falls within the realm of the overshare: your boss’s Vegas stag party pics, or your new boyfriend’s status change from single to “it’s complicated.” But …
Why Underwater Mortgages Don’t Kill Jobs
If you’re wondering why you can’t find a job, don’t blame your underwater mortgage.
That’s the finding of a new study by economists Colleen Donovan and Calvin Schnure, which attempts to get at the roots of our stubborn joblessness problem. There are a lot of economists speculating that homeowners who can’t afford to pay off their …
