Poor Canadian Employment Numbers Bring Real Estate Back In Focus

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 5, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} This decline in USD/CAD abruptly ended today with a very poor Canadian employment report that was well below expectations. The unemployment rate ticked up from 7.0 to 7.2% as the … Read more

Supply/Demand Imbalances Continue Building in the Housing Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 24, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) There were a lot of interesting nuggets in the January existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The continuing decline in housing inventory has really caught my … Read more

It Only Takes 5 Million Dollars To Buy A Home

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 5, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} In previous pieces on the real estate market, I have referenced how cash buyers and buyers with very high credit scores have provided the main buying power in the housing … Read more

One Eye On Higher Interest Rates As Strong Housing Data Continue

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 4, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Long-term interest rates are moving higher. Although it can be difficult to interpret the meaning of interest rate movements given the Federal Reserve is an active player in manipulating rates, I … Read more

Settlement By Lender Processing Services Clears Major Overhang

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 3, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) On January 31st, Lender Processing Services (LPS) announced the company has settled with the attorneys general of 46 states and the District of Columbia over accusations of fraudulent practices in its … Read more

The Bottoming In Private Residential Fixed Investment Continues

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week’s U.S. GDP print (advance estimate, revisions to come) came in slightly stronger than expected with an annualized growth rate of 2.0%. Financial markets had relatively muted reactions. The S&P … Read more

KBH Shines Again But Keep An Eye On California’s Recovering Housing Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 14, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) U.S. homebuilders continue to beat a drum of optimism. KB Home (KBH) is no exception. In its July earnings report, KBH established a strategy of “Going on Offense”. KBH provided more … Read more

What To Do with Your Homebuilder Stocks Now

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Congratulations to those of you who were able to ignore the bears on housing and stick with housing stocks this year. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) has finally recovered all … Read more

Shortage of Labor in Some Housing Markets

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 7, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In “Home Builders Don’t Have Enough Workers to Meet New Demand“, CNBC reports that housing markets with strong demand are reporting severe shortages of labor. These strong markets include the Western … Read more

Time to Hedge A Little As Homebuilders Surge to Multi-Year Milestones

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 19, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In 2010, the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) rallied sharply only to peak in parabolic fashion in April. That Fall, I reaffirmed my belief that housing would bounce along the bottom … Read more