Affordable Housing Institute : US

The National Association of Realtors has released an interesting compilation of changing US home markets:
 
Nationally, median home prices gained 8.8 percent in the fourth quarter versus the same period in 2003 [that is, 8.8% annual appreciation over the last 12 months — ed.], according to a National Association of Realtors (NAR) report.
The median price was […]

Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in what figures to be a very important case, 04-108, Kelo v. New London:
 
Facts of the Case
New London, a city in Connecticut, used its eminent domain authority to seize private property to sell to private developers. The city said developing the land would create jobs and […]

Rock, a National Park Service geologist once told me while we were hiking in the Fiery Furnace, is always coming or going: either it is being formed (by pressure, heat, and time)
 

 
or it is being eroded (by water, wind, and time). 
 

 
In the same way, neighborhoods are always coming or going: gentrifying or […]

A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg. — Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
When you buy or sell a home, for whom does your real estate broker work?If you’re a seller, the listing agreement you sign says the broker works for you. Now comes a University of Chicago study from two economists (Steven D. […]

“Four kinds of money, Holmes?  Four?”
 
“Yes, Watson, and each has a different sign.”
 

 
“Let me explain.”
 
 
Is this napkin large enough for four kinds of money?
 
In affordable housing, every financial transaction involves a capital producer (who gives money) to a capital consumer (who needs money).  In investment terms, money may be either debt or equity:
 

Debt: money rented […]