More Bureaucracy is Not the Answer to Solve the Housing Market

in General Real Estate on

But it sure seems like “more bureaucracy” is government’s answer.

Clearly, the market is not functioning as it should. Despite near-record-low interest rates, credit conditions remain tight for many consumers and investors interested in buying or refinancing residential real estate. Moreover, the lack of sufficient numbers of buyers and sellers may limit price discovery, which heightens uncertainty about the “right” price for a given piece of real estate and further limits activity. In addition, the large number of foreclosures and a protracted foreclosure process have led to an unprecedented level of bank-owned homes, a level that is likely to persist for some time.

So how do we move forward in these difficult circumstances?
…
In August, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), working with the Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, issued a request for information seeking ideas for the disposition of REO owned by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA, including ideas for turning these properties into rental housing. Together, the GSEs and the FHA hold about half of the outstanding

REO inventory and so may be able to aggregate enough properties to facilitate a cost-effective rental program in many markets.

No. No. No.

I don’t see “become a landlord” anywhere the the federal government’s enumerated powers.

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Albemarle County Real Estate Market Update – August 2011

in Albemarle Market statistics on

What’s happening the Albemarle County real estate market? Lots of stuff. Perhaps the two most relevant posts I’ve written in the past few weeks are these:

– Goodbye, 0-5 Buyer -OR- Finance a House or an Education? in which I discuss the elimination of the short-term homeowner and this effect on the Charlottesville area real estate market

and

– Categorizing the Charlottesville Real Estate Market – in which I break the market down into four segments – from distressed to price aggressively.

This is just a reasonably high-level overview of the Albemarle real estate market. But … this matters little to you if you’re looking for a home in Albemarle, start your home search here. If you’re curious about what’s happening in your location in Albemarle, or are currently searching for homes for sale in Albemarle, please feel free to contact me anytime with questions.

Sold listings are down in Albemarle County year over year:

See also:

Charlottesville MSA Real Estate Market Update – 30 August 2011 – How this matters to You

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City of Charlottesville Real Estate Market Update – August 2011

in Charlottesville Market statistics on

The City of Charlottesville Real Estate market continues to be slow. Download the City of Charlottesville Detailed Real Estate Market Report A balanced market is still a ways off.

As I noted in 2006 (Good Lord, it’s been that long that we’ve been searching for a bottom?!)

How do we know that the housing “bust/correction/adjustment” (how about “change”) is over? My answer – when we are able to look back from a perspective of nine to eighteen months and say, “see, here are the data, this is the trend of where we were, and here is where we are.” Until then, speculation about every move – a move of any kind -  of the market is just that – speculation, even if it’s educated speculation.

This is just a reasonably high-level overview of the City of Charlottesville’s real estate market. If you’re curious about what’s happening in your location in Charlottesville, or are currently searching for homes for sale in Greene, please feel free to contact me anytime with questions.

Sold listings are up ever so slightly in the City of Charlottesville year over year:

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