Real Estate Bubble: Sophisticated Musical Chairs?

The real estate bubble is a hot topic today; annual appreciation and housing prices have never been higher in most U.S. markets. While personal incomes have risen in the single digits over the last four years, home prices have risen in the double digits. Home prices in some markets will reach levels in the next two years where they are not affordable to the majority of first-time buyers. As with any market, once part of the market can't participate it will impact other areas of the market.

Market timing in over-heated real estate markets will be key in the next two years. Those waiting for the very top of prices might be holding some over-mortgaged property. Understanding when to take profits before demand weakens is an art most unseasoned individual real estate investors should have learned from their experience in the dot-com bust of 2000.

When's the time to get out? Look for incentives by builders on completed new construction buildings or homes; this indicates an over-supply of new units. Research days on market or the length of time of property has been on market. If the typical time recently has been 30 days for sold properties and now market times for the majority of sold properties are 60 or more days, the market is softening. Home prices and mortgage rates effect each other, as interest rates drop, the more buyers can afford to pay for a home, but as rates rise buyers can afford less of a purchase price. Watch interest rates as an indictor of deflating prices.

Make sure you have a chair when the booming housing market music stops.

Mark Nash is a real estate author and broker. His latest book 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home was recently published. Mr. Nash is residential real estate a broker in Chicago. His informative consumer focused real estate tips have been featured on CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, Marshall Loeb's syndicated column on Dow Jones Marketwatch and in Ellen James Martin nationally syndicated column Smart Moves.

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German Stocks Fall Most Since January; Hypo Real Estate Slumps - Bloomberg

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4883445.ececid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNHLFGrwRTAXOVaHkxS7HxbdL25VAAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=EuGtciHaWK0Jimgurl=business.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00410/Hypo_Real_Estate_410159a.jpg width=80 height=38 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Times Online/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601100%26sid%3DapMYnS6j53Zk%26refer%3Dgermanycid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNHOHMv4zhH6x2KtoDsmkQrYKDw0UAGerman Stocks Fall Most Since January; Hypo bReal Estate/b Slumps/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBloombergnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Hypo bReal Estate/b, the nation#39;s second-biggest commercial- property lender, tumbled 37 percent as the government and the country#39;s banks and insurers agreed b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZz0F4-iutWccid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNF76qAMGR_vTnXPXPk2s_ZQb5uxLQVideo: Wall St.#39;s worst week in 7 years/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReutersVideo/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/Zz0F4-iutWc/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/Zz0F4-iutWctype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-2fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/hypo-real-estate-tripped-funding/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B2B1A4778-8429-4E11-88E0-96FD0D888991%257D%26dist%3Dmsr_1cid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNH-8NWCtgLNhFUOGZjFniBP1QILbwHypo bReal Estate/b tripped by funding strategy/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-3fd=Rurl=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3692522,00.htmlcid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNGoyyBWfmLOiuvC4ThQNvMmsWS7pwGermany Rescues Hypo bReal Estate/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrDeutsche Welle/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-4fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/german-officials-move-save-hypo/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B99F9DBD1-3CCB-4FD9-A31D-248BFE852C56%257D%26dist%3Dmsr_1cid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNFy5WJbUNUs_uADA88nAtz3UJ6SMAnobrMarketWatch/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-5fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/germany-moves-rescue-hypo-real/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BD97E28E7-42B0-4DE5-B730-13B59C349C04%257D%26dist%3Dmsr_1cid=1251970064ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNEhhFuon7IvDvIQaGg_ro7RgIYTtAnobrMarketWatch/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1251970064hl=ennobrall 2,130 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Real estate roundup: BPA leases Vancouver space - Bizjournals.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/10/06/daily2.htmlcid=1254855186ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNEvUw6fdZ9tRMQ7rT6SYnxUgwzSoQbReal estate/b roundup: BPA leases Vancouver space/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBizjournals.com,nbsp;NCnbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1New amp; Neville bReal Estate/b Services represented Cricket. •Foam Street Investments LLC purchased The Parkview Apartments, a 104-unit complex at 7808 NE 12th b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081006/ARTICLE/810060402/2058/NEWS%3FTitle%3DReal_estate_dealscid=1254855186ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNGAx5M3PcKkpTRn_hN7exaH2gP_GQbReal estate/b deals/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSarasota Herald-Tribune/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254855186hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Blumberg Capital Partners Completes Two-Year Real Estate ... - MarketWatch

Real estate wrap: Rowan opens first building at technology park - Bizjournals.com

Commercial real estate feels pinch - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The 2008 Real Estate Review Is the Most Comprehensive Guide to the ... - MarketWatch

Analysts cautious commercial real estate outlook - Forbes

Hypo Real Estate, Deutsche Bank, Metro: German Equity Preview - Bloomberg

Japan Stocks Fall on Hypo Real Estate Bailout, US Job Losses - Bloomberg

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601080%26sid%3DaCLlNLHwIv5k%26refer%3Dasiacid=1254747604ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNGRpFixcKDPJ-swv03UzH-XzmbVeQJapan Stocks Fall on Hypo bReal Estate/b Bailout, US Job Losses/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBloombergnbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Masaki Kondo Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Japan#39;s stocks fell as the biggest US loss of jobs in five years and a bailout of Hypo bReal Estate/b Holding AG fueled b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-1fd=Rurl=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012547666cid=1254747604ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNG89PaYBu2-fgg8taA72VW_viABuwAsian Markets Trade Lower As Credit Crisis Goes Global/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAHN/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-2fd=Rurl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601101%26sid%3DaRNEW8NF6B9g%26refer%3Djapancid=1254747604ei=5mHqSJywCpLmyATTsKFNusg=AFQjCNEVXm1F7-loZLQDV7FmOYDrr60XoQJapan Stocks Fall to Five-Year Low as Credit Crisis Intensifies/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBloomberg/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254747604hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Bank exposure to real estate sector climbs by 5.2% in June - BusinessWorld Online

Real-Estate - Google News

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