Looking for (and Finding) Positives in the U.S. Housing Market

Quartz shares a collection of data showing reasons for optimism on the road to a long, slow recovery.

1 minute read

July 8, 2015, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


After describing that the U.S. housing market as "an enduring symbol of the 2008 financial crisis," Melvin Blackman shares a number of metrics that show positive signs.

Positive signs from the market, as described by Blackman:

  • Housing starts on the rebound.
  • More existing houses being sold.
  • First-time buyers are increasing as cash-only buyers decrease.
  • Lenders loosening credit.

Each of those points is illustrated with charts and links to the data backing up the claim. But like many in the industry, Blackman notes that the current condition of the market falls short of a "full throated real estate boom." Indeed, the recent "State of the Nation's Housing" report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University described the market as losing momentum and full of bad news for renters.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015 in Quartz

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