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Weekly Twitter Digest for 2009-09-19
Thinking about doing a weekly live-streamed call-in Seattle real estate podcast. Thoughts? Software suggestions? # Wow, that's a lot of empty, anchored cargo ships: http://is.gd/3gKMA # Good thing about the "recession is over" nonsense: it makes it much less likely the misguided $8k homebuyer tax credit will be extended. # Interesting story about a Tacoma…
FHA: The New Subprime
Three facts: Nearly 7% (and rising) of FHA loans are currently in default (source). The FHA has cash reserves of less than 2 percent (and falling) of the total value of loans they guarantee (source). FHA currently makes about 23% (and rising) of all mortgages in the USA (source). Here are those first two points…
A Tale of Two Decades
Just for kicks: Seattle’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index in the ’90s and the ’00s (through June). Each series is indexed to 100 at the start of the decade. Colored horizontal lines represent the value of the index at the start of each year. change 1990-1999 2000-2009 (June) Total +71.63% +49.53% 1st Half +23.18% +38.61% 2nd…
$8,000 Tax Credit: To Extend or Not to Extend?
As the expiration date on the first-time homebuyer $8,000 tax credit nears, talk is stirring about renewing and expanding the scheme. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the varying related pieces I’ve been following from around the web. First up, we’ve got the National Ass. of Realtors pushing hard on their members to “Write…