Today’s news that new homes sales are at their worst level in recorded history comes on the heels of yesterday’s report that existing home sales we down more than 2% while the “experts” were expecting an increase of almost 6%, is great example of what I am afraid is going to be another 6 months to a year of pain for sellers and homeowners. I hope I am wrong , but I fear that I am not.
But, wai
t!! I thought the government’ s tax credit program was supposed to stabilize the market. If you listened to, and believed what, the National Association of REALTORS® and the California Association of REALTORS® have had to say about the credits, you should be seeing a recovery by now. But, what we are beginning to see, on a National basis, (which is what most of us read and hear about) is a rapid move of the market toward the place it would have already gone,if the people who should know better would have been honest about the ultimate impact of these credits they were supporting.
Instead these groups landed on the side of getting a quick “fix” instead of thinking long term. Now we have to look even longer term because the inevitable has been prolonged.
Now let’s be honest here. I and my office associates, here in the Lake Oroville and Paradise real estate markets, no doubt benefited from the temporary increase in sales that resulted from the credits. Our sales numbers increased like everyone else’s. I would, however, have gladly sacrificed the short term benefits in order to re-establish a viable, vibrant and free real estate market. One that has staying power.
As it is we are saddled with the hangover from the housing version of Cash For Clunkers, or as I prefer to call it: “Funds For Foreclosures”
If you think that I am all gloomy and doomy about this market you are wrong. I think that expiration of these tax credits now allow us to come back to reality and now focus on the real cause of this market today. UNEMPLOYMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe a softer real estate market going into election season will be one more reason to finally get us the changes we need in order to get our country’s, and our state’s, economic engine restarted.
As they say, Everything Happens for A Reason.
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- Existing Home Sales Drop 2.2% online.wsj.com)
- Housing: How Bad Will It Get? blogs.wsj.com)
- May New-Home Sales Plunge 32.7% dailyfinance.com)
- Calif.’s first-time buyer tax credit almost gone lansner.ocregister.com)
- American Land Title Association Urges Congress to Extend Closing Deadline for Homebuyer Tax Credit eon.businesswire.com)
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