Real Estate Bubble
What Is a Real Estate Bubble?
One definition for a real estate bubble is the fast increase in prices, usually driven by investors and speculators in major urban areas. Properties are usually mispriced or overvalued over long periods, and as the prices cross the sustainability threshold, the bubble may burst, bringing prices down, to more affordable values. By definition, real estate bubbles are fluctuations in prices, so they generate a sinusoidal graph. The sad part is that nobody knows when the next inflection point will shake the real estate market.
Indicators That Predict a Real Estate Bubble
Low interest rates pour easy money into the market, and many take advantage of them to become homeowners. The increase in demand generates an increase in prices. The only thing that it is not very clear is the number of buyers who are only speculating and investing, without the intent to ever live in those real estate properties. The more investors and speculators in an area, the higher the chance of a real estate bubble.
According to a report issued by UBS, the risk of a real estate bubble was the highest in the following six cities: Hong Kong, Munich, Toronto, Vancouver, Amsterdam, and London. In the United States of America, this phenomenon is more likely to occur in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston.
Home price indexes - a good indicator of the national trend in house pricing. There are a few house price indexes available: S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index, or S&P/Case-Shiller CA-Los Angeles Home Price Index and the like. These indexes are also graphically represented. A long increasing slope may suggest a real estate bubble and a fall in prices should be expected. By analyzing the trends, this could be approximated in time.
Price to rent ratios are also an indicator of real estate bubbles. From an investor’s standpoint, the higher it is, the faster the investment will be recovered. But buying a property with a high price-to-rent ratio may be more expensive. From a homebuyer’s point of view, a lower ratio indicates that buying is cheaper and wiser. According to SmartAsset, the cities with the highest price-to-rent ratio for a $1,000 rental are San Francisco (45.88), Honolulu (40.11), and Oakland (38.5).
Popular Real Estate Terms
The Exclusive Agency Listing is regularly confused with the Exclusive Right to Sell Listing, but they are not the same. True: on both Listings, only 1 Broker or Agent has the right to sell ...
Generally, a legal notice implies a method of official notification to an individual, organization, company, or the public that a particular event is about to occur. We can call a ...
Trying to resolve a problem between two individuals up with some compromise or common ground. It occurs more often during times of poor economic conditions. An example is a creditor ...
(1) Paved roadway constructed above lowlands such as a swamp. (2) Roadway in ancient Egypt connecting the valley temple with a pyramid. ...
The appraisal approach is used to estimate the value of an asset, based on various factors to reach the closest educated guess of the asset. While an appraisal approach does consider the ...
A municipal or county local government board that resolves zoning disputes. ...
Government owned lands, for conservation purposes or for specific uses such as dams and hydropower. Public lands are owned by federal, state, and local governments. Many public lands are ...
Type of ownership by husband and wife, recognized in 27 states, in which the rights of the deceased spouse pass to the survivor. It is the same as joint tenancy, except that one spouse ...
The definition of trade-in in real estate refers to a swap of houses. The trade-in program gives a seller of a property the chance to find an ideal replacement home for their family while ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.