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EDITOR’S COMMENT: Somebody once said that after Americans have exhausted all other options they will finally do the right thing. I hope that is true. Because until we start treating homeowners as victims instead of deadbeats, the situation cannot change. And until we consider the interest of investors to be far more important than the appearance of financial stability in banks that are holding fictitious assets, confidence in our financial markets and the willingness to invest in American markets will be diminished.
I don’t know about you, but if I knew that the economy would return to health by giving somebody money or property or any other sort of benefit I would be hard-pressed to say no and allow more people to lose their homes, their dignity and their hopes. We tried giving everything we had to the banks. It’s time to look in other directions.
Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Decline 4%
By Shobhana Chandra
Home prices in 20 U.S. cities dropped more than forecast in December to the lowest level since the housing crisis began in mid-2006, indicating foreclosures are hampering the industry’s recovery.
The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 cities fell 4 percent from a year earlier, after decreasing 3.9 percent in November, a report from the group showed today in New York. The median forecast of 31 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 3.7 percent decline.
Abandoned houses at the Desert Mesa subdivision in North Las Vegas. Photographer: Jewel Samad /AFP/Getty Images
Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) — Robert Shiller and Karl Case, co-creators of the S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 U.S. cities, talks about the housing market and home prices. The S&P/Case-Shiller index fell 4 percent in December, more than forecast, to the lowest level since the housing crisis began in mid-2006. Shiller and Case speak with Tom Keene on Bloomberg Radio’s “Surveillance.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) — Douglas Yearley, chief executive officer of Toll Brothers Inc., talks about the outlook for the U.S. housing market. Yearly also discusses Toll Brothers’ first-quarter earnings and the Obama administration’s efforts to stimulate the housing market. He speaks with Trish Regan on Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smart.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) — Home prices in 20 U.S. cities dropped more than forecast in December to the lowest level since the housing crisis began in mid-2006, indicating foreclosures are hampering the industry’s recovery. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 cities fell 4 percent from a year earlier, after decreasing 3.9 percent in November, a report from the group showed today in New York. Betty Liu reports on Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Signage for the Toll Brothers Inc. Diablo Estates is displayed at the entrance of a development in Clayton, California. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Distressed properties returning to the market mean prices will stay depressed, prompting buyers to wait for cheaper bargains and impeding construction. While sales have begun to stabilize, a rebound in home values may take time, underscoring Federal Reserve policy makers’ concern that weakness in housing is blunting their efforts to spur the economic expansion.
“We’re still dealing with a lot of distressed properties and very low absolute levels of demand,” said Sean Incremona, a senior economist at 4Cast Inc. in New York, who accurately projected the 4 percent drop. “We’re not seeing any of the stabilization in housing activity filter through to prices.”
A separate report today from the Commerce Department showed orders for U.S. durable goods fell in January by the most in three years, led by a slowdown in demand for commercial aircraft and business equipment.
Three Years
Bookings for goods meant to last at least three years slumped 4 percent, more than forecast, after a revised 3.2 percent gain the prior month. Economists projected a 1 percent decline, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was little changed at 1,367.54 at 9:34 a.m. in New York. The 10-year Treasury yield fell two basis points from late yesterday to 1.90 percent.
Economists’ estimates for the year-over-year change in the home price index for December ranged from declines of 4.1 percent to 3.2 percent, according to the survey. The Case- Shiller index is based on a three-month average, which means the December data was influenced by transactions in October and November.
The November reading was previously reported as a year- over-year drop of 3.7 percent.
Home prices adjusted for seasonal variations fell 0.5 percent in December from the prior month, following a decrease of 0.7 percent in November. Unadjusted prices fell 1.1 percent from the prior month.
Shows Trends
The year-over-year gauge, begun in 2001, provides better indications of trends in prices, the group has said. The panel includes Karl Case and Robert Shiller, the economists who created the index.
Nineteen of the 20 cities in the index showed a year-over- year decline, led by a 12.8 percent drop in Atlanta. Detroit showed the only increase, with prices rising 0.5 percent in December.
Nationally, prices decreased 4 percent in the fourth quarter from the same time in 2010 to the lowest level since mid-2006. They fell 3.8 percent from the previous three months before seasonal adjustment, and fell 1.7 percent after taking those changes into account.
“The pickup in the economy has simply not been strong enough to keep home prices stabilized,” David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P index committee, said in a statement. “If anything, it looks like we might have re-entered a period of decline as we begin 2012.”
Demand Steadies
Recent reports indicate demand is steadying. Existing-home (ETSLTOTL) sales rose to a 4.57 million annual rate in January, the National Association of Realtors reported last week. While it was the best showing since May 2010, distressed properties made up the largest portion of all purchases since April.
Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) and D.R. Horton Inc. are among builders benefiting from job growth as well as cheaper properties and record-low mortgage rates.
“We’re optimistic,” Doug Yearley, chief executive officer at Horsham, Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers, said in a Feb. 22 interview with Bloomberg Television. “We have orders that are up significantly. We’re seeing deposits up, we’re seeing traffic up.”
Excess supply of distressed properties is dragging down values for all houses. About 5 million houses have been lost to foreclosure in the U.S. since 2006, according to RealtyTrac Inc. Banks may seize more than 1 million U.S. homes this year after legal scrutiny of their foreclosure practices slowed actions against delinquent homeowners in 2011, it said last month.
“Restoring the health of the housing market is a necessary part of a broader strategy for economic recovery,” Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said in the cover letter of a Fed study on the housing market that he sent to Congress last month.
To contact the reporter on this story: Shobhana Chandra in Washington at schandra1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Wellisz at cwellisz@bloomberg.net
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