Entries from Searchlight Crusade tagged with 'housing supply'

Why the Current State of New Developer Housing

I've seen many new home developments with vaulted ceilings, mini-vineyards, huge houses on little tiny lots...Why can't some developer built some homes for us regular people? A normal sized home with plenty of closet space and a decent (not...

Full Circle: Back to More Traditional Lending Standards

When things went south in the real estate market, I saw more changes in the lending industry in a few months than the previous five years. But those changes mostly restored us to the place we were a few years...

The Measurement Unit For Desirability Is Dollars

I have been asked by more than one person how to measure desirability of real estate objectively. Fortunately, the Phoenicians did all the hard work for me three thousand years ago when they invented money. Precisely what that measurement unit...

Considering Condos, Townhomes, and PUDs

The vast majority of the population out there wants single family detached housing. The virtues and benefits of the single family residence have been extolled ad nauseum, and the drawbacks of the alternatives are the stuff of urban legend. Unfortunately,...

The Economics of Housing Development

The genesis of this article is Something's Gotta Give, a report (.pdf format) from the Center For Housing Policy. Furthermore, there is an article in the Washington Times from UPI that connects the dots on the tactical level. The...

Gravity Is Not a Major Determinant Of Housing Prices

A while ago now, I saw a rather clever video someone did called, "That Last Dip's a Doozy!" Someone took housing prices 1890 to present and graphed them to a roller coaster ride. Just before the end, he turned the...

Who Does Creating Barriers to Growth Hurt?

For at least the last thirty years, I've been hearing "affordable housing" advocates yammer about the high cost of housing, and how working families can no longer afford "decent" housing, which they apparently consider to be the three or...

The History of Suburban Housing

For at least the last thirty years, I've been hearing "affordable housing" advocates yammer about the high cost of housing, and how working families can no longer afford "decent" housing, which they apparently consider to be the three or...

The Measurement Unit For Desirability Is Dollars

I have been asked by more than one person how to measure desirability of real estate objectively. Fortunately, the Phoenicians did all the hard work for me three thousand years ago when they invented money. Precisely what that measurement unit...

A Good Proposal For Dealing With The Mortgage Problem

Megan McArdle on Obama's proposed bailout So the plan: 1. Forces the bloated and undercapitalized mortgage agencies to take on more debt without regard to creditworthiness 2. Cleans up only the least toxic loans 3. Will cost some unknowably...

Who Does Creating Artificial Barriers to Growth Hurt?

For at least the last thirty years, I've been hearing "affordable housing" advocates yammer about the high cost of housing, and how working families can no longer afford "decent" housing, which they apparently consider to be the three or...

The History of Suburban Housing

For at least the last thirty years, I've been hearing "affordable housing" advocates yammer about the high cost of housing, and how working families can no longer afford "decent" housing, which they apparently consider to be the three or...

Full Circle: Back to More Traditional Lending Standards

I've seen more changes in the lending industry in the last six months than the previous five years. But those changes simply restored us to the place we were a few years ago. Loans are easy to get, rates are...

The Affordability of Property in San Diego September 2007

Let's consider where the rates are: Ever so slightly higher. With the Fed boosting liquidity and cutting their short term rates, I expect this to change rapidly, but let's take a look at the actual cost of money on...

Considering Condos, Townhomes, and PUDs

The vast majority of the population out there wants single family detached housing. The virtues and benefits of the single family residence have been extolled ad nauseum, and the drawbacks of the alternatives are the stuff of urban legend. Unfortunately,...

Gravity Is Not a Major Determinant Of Housing Prices

I just saw a rather clever video someone did called, "That Last Dip's a Doozy!" Someone took housing prices 1890 to present and graphed them to a roller coaster ride. Just before the end, he turned the track around so...

Real Estate Boycotts Don't Make Sense

This originally appeared May 19, 2006, but still has some relevance I simply love: "Fear and Greed, or How Did the Housing Bubble Get so big? I'm not sure if you are aware that there is a grass-roots group that...

Looking Beyond The Bubble: What's Next For Highly Appreciated Markets

(The original was posted March 31, 2006. This is an updated version) Doing my workout this morning I asked myself what's next for the real estate market. The state of the market here locally is that prices are and have...

Why the Current State of New Developer Housing

I've seen many new home developments with vaulted ceilings, mini-vineyards, huge houses on little tiny lots...Why can't some developer built some homes for us regular people? A normal sized home with plenty of closet space and a decent (not...

Looking Beyond The Bubble: What's Next For Highly Appreciated Markets

(Editorial note: I wrote an updated version of this to post Christmas morning 2006) Doing my workout this morning I asked myself what's next for the real estate market. The state of the market here locally is that prices are...