The S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Indices released the latest numbers February 23 amid a choppy economic environment. When the markets opened Thursday, February 24, gloom was abundant due to a slew of economic data being released that didn't make anyone feel better. Higher than expected jobless claim numbers and lukewarm durable goods seem to indicate that businesses are not increasing spending and are continuing in contraction.  This is the backdrop against which the latest Case Shiller numbers were released.  The decline continues to improve in terms of rate; a national rate of -2.5% December over December.  This is a vast improvement over double digit loss seen the last couple of years for comparative numbers.  The Case Shiller numbers lag about a month so these numbers are ending December 31.  Miami, Phoenix and Seattle have left the double digit decline arena and posted losses in the single digits leaving only Detroit, Las Vegas and Tampa in the double digit loss zone.  Denver showed a 1.2% gain; the highest gain of 4.8% was seen in San Francisco.  According to Robert Shiller, the Yale University economist, the market fell 11% in the first half of the year  only to gain 5% during the second half of the year.  The data continues to indicate bottom has been hit and we will continue to bounce along for a while.

Springs Blog prefers to focus on the status of the regional market with the national market as a backdrop because the influence of national factors varies.  While mortgage availability and Federal tax credits have substantial influence on the Pikes Peak market, the activity in Alabama or Michigan has virtually no influence.  The Case-Shiller numbers ending November 30, 2009, demonstrate that point exactly.  Starting closer to home, Denver has...

Those knowledgeable about the real estate market have been nervously watching numbers over the last couple of quarters.  The uptick seen in the residential market this year has been met with cautious optimism that the worst may be over but the true measure would be fourth quarter activity as the real estate season slows and the major impact of the First Time Home Buyer Credit has passed.  Additionally,...

The blogs are on FIRE!  The S&P Case Shiller numbers, ending October 2009, have been released and the blogosphere is hopping with commentary about it.  We are providing a link to the actual report so our readers can read the numbers for themselves.  http://www.standardandpoors.com/indices/sp-case-shiller-home-price-indices/en/us/?indexId=spusa-cashpidff--p-us.

As always, Springsblog is here to present the facts with a no-nonsense approach to the commentary.  You have come to expect this!  So, let's begin close to home with Denver...