Please pardon the brief interruption from our regularly-scheduled programming. In case you aren’t aware, this site is run by one individual (yours truly, Tim Ellis) in my spare time. I pay for the domain and the hosting, and dedicate an average of an hour or two a day to bringing you fresh, relevant content about…
Author: The Tim
Tim Ellis is the founder of Seattle Bubble. His background in engineering and computer / internet technology, a fondness of data-based analysis of problems, and an addiction to spreadsheets all influence his perspective on the Seattle-area real estate market. Tim also hosts the weekly improv comedy sci-fi podcast Dispatches from the Multiverse.
Housing Bubbles: US vs. Japan Twelve Years In
Nearly three years ago, Deejayoh posted a great comparison chart showing how the US housing bubble compared to the housing bubble Japan experienced in the late ’80s and ’90s. Let’s have an updated look at those charts. First up, here’s the chart of the straight-up U.S. and Japan home prices, updated through the latest 2011…
Mid-Week Open Thread (2011-09-14)
Here is your open thread for the mid-week on September 14th, 2011. You may post random links and off-topic discussions here. Also, if you have an idea or a topic you’d like to see covered in an article, please make it known. Be sure to also check out the forums, and get your word in…
August Stats Snapshot: 2011 vs. “Normal”
I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the latest NWMLS data in a slightly different format than usual. In the charts below I have plotted August 2011’s data on closed sales, pending sales, and inventory. Next to that I have also plotted the average values for every August from 2000 through…
Good Ideas that Home Salespeople Hate
There are two good ideas that have been circulating recently that would help keep the housing market from experiencing another dangerous bubble: End (or greatly scale back) the mortgage interest tax deduction. Require at least a 20% down payment for purchases. Here’s a recent article that covers the arguments in favor of ending the deduction:…