tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19046901.post114935986989497814..comments2023-10-31T09:29:34.882-04:00Comments on The Massachusetts Housing Market: Inventory up + sales down = ?DThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05449908295673396278noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19046901.post-1150616924233469302006-06-18T03:48:00.000-04:002006-06-18T03:48:00.000-04:00The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies' 2006...The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies' 2006 annual report concludes that historically it takes both an economic downturn and overbuilding to trigger a significant correction in housing prices, and that neither condition holds today. If history is any guide, high inventory relative to demand (eg. a buyer's market) is not enough to lead to the freefall in prices many have predicted. The full report is at:<BR/><BR/>http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/notsofastlouiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08182046657580170406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19046901.post-1150327881421641412006-06-14T19:31:00.000-04:002006-06-14T19:31:00.000-04:00From the Boston Herald, summarizing the recent rep...From the Boston Herald, summarizing the recent report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies:<BR/><BR/>“The problem of affordability is not just a low-income problem any more. Middle-income families are facing affordability problems as well,” said Nicolas Retsinas of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, which prepared the report. <BR/> Researchers attribute much of the problem to zoning laws that have limited house construction. <BR/> For instance, the study found Greater Boston municipalities issued just 7,974 building permits for new houses last year - a 16.6 percent drop from 1994. <BR/> The good news: Retsinas said a lack of excess construction means prices in Boston’s jittery housing market aren’t likely to collapse. <BR/> The expert said researchers found sharp price drops usually require a combination of overbuilding and big job losses.notsofastlouiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08182046657580170406noreply@blogger.com