Entries by Ken Fears

Case-Shiller Price Index, Consumer Confidence

10 MSAs showed stronger prices for the month compared to July, but only 2 were stronger than August of 2010 (Washington, DC and Detroit). Palm Coast, FL – October 25, 2011 – Each day the National Association of Realtors ® Research staff takes a look at recently released economic indicators, addressing what these indicators mean […]

Small Market Share, But A Big Economic Impact

Fannie, Freddie, and FHA conforming loan limits are set to decline at the end of September. Palm Coast, FL –  September 17, 2011 – For roughly three years, the FHA as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) have been doing business with portions of the housing market priced higher than they have […]

Help Wanted: Part 2

We continue our ”drill down” in the employment numbers, with an eye on what analysts call ”the diffusion index.” Palm Coast, FL – January 11, 2011 – Generally speaking, a single industry will not determine the health of an economy. Rather, a diverse economy with multiple industries is better suited to weather economic shocks. There […]

Housing Market on the Mend: Cape Coral – Ft. Myers

A sharp decline in prices boosted affordability and brought both investors and buyers to the market. Palm Coast, FL – January 7, 2011 – Florida was hard hit by the subprime mess and subsequent economic slide and no city in the state was spared. A sharp price correction and improvements in employment have helped turn […]

The True Housing Market Revealed

In the wake of the Federal tax credit home sales plummeted, but price trends were a mixed bag with some markets declining while others held firm or expanded. Palm Coast, FL – December 27, 2010 – While problems in the foreclosure process will impact the market in the 4th quarter, the 3rd quarter was telling […]

Commentary: Help Wanted, 15 Million Workers to Drive Expansion

The recession officially ended in June of 2009. However, nearly 15 million people remain unemployed and countless more are working fewer hours than they would like. Palm Coast, FL – December 6, 2010 – The National Bureau of Economic Research announced in September that the recession officially ended in June of 2009. However, nearly 15 […]