Read articles of current interest with date posted
Don't over-think the real estate market. 5/11/13
Giving these big price increases the context they need. 5/3/13
How not only to survive, but prevail, in this market, part 2. 4/27/13
Big gains in the past two years. 4/20/13
How not only to survive, but prevail, in this market, part 1. 4/13/13
Name-brand markets, first-timer markets, big-time markets. 4/6/13
Will rising interest rates hurt or help real estate? 3/30/13
The fastest markets in the West. 3/23/13
Movin' on up! 3/16/13
Xtreme market FAQs. 3/9/13
The far side of real estate. 3/2/13
Going...going...gone! 2/23/13
Making sense of this market. 2/16/13
Has SpotProperty got a deal for you! 2/9/13
"Take a number" open houses. 2/2/13
Why not overbid? 1/26/12
The "latte vision" in an age of Xtreme disclosures. 1/19/13
Using an agent to find a rental. 1/12/13
What happens in 2013? 1/5/2013
A look at local real estate in 2012. 12/29/12
Brewing the "latte vision" of real estate. 12/22/12
How much does each API point cost? part 5 12/15/12
"As easy as purchasing a latte". 12/8/12
How much does each API point cost? part 4 11/30/12
A Thanksgiving Day dinner conversation. 11/22/12
How much does each API point cost? part 3 11/17/12
What makes an ideal real estate agent? 11/8/2012
How much does each API point cost? part 2 10/31/2012
Discounts and shifts at the most affordable end of the market, part 4. 10/27/12
How much does each API point cost? 10/20/12
Discounts and shifts at the most affordable end of the market, part 3. 10/13/12
Is cynicism just another word for naiveté? 10/6/12
Discounts and shifts at the most affordable end of the market, part 2. 9/29/12
"It's getting frothy again." 9/22/12
Discounts and shifts at the most affordable end of the market. 9/15/12
"Silicon Valley luxury market": palaces or starter homes? 9/8/12
A look at local real estate by price range, part 4. 9/1/12
The Palo Alto bubble market. 8/25/12
The Rodney Dangerfield market gets some respect. 8/18/12
Five steps to healthy, happy negotiating. 8/11/12
A look at local real estate by price range, part 3. 8/4/12
API: Affluent Parents Index? 7/28/12
A look at local real estate by price range, part 2. 7/21/12
Fyten's take on Newton's third law of motion. 7/14/12
A look at local real estate by price range. 7/7/12
Extreme Couponing or Extreme Naiveté? 6/30/12
A look at local real estate midyear. 6/23/12
Setting the record straight. 6/16/12
Madera CA: boomtown USA. 6/9/12
Two more snapshots of the condo market. 6/2/12
Handsome is as handsome does. 5/26/12
Two snapshots of the condo market. 5/19/12
Multiple offers: a blast from the past. 5/12/12
Dear Abby answers your real estate questions. 5/5/12
Two more snapshots of the market's recovery. 4/28/12
Scarred and scared by the Great Recession. 4/21/12
Three more snapshots of the market's recovery. 4/14/12
"This time it's different." 4/7/12
Three snapshots of the market's recovery. 3/31/12
Buyers! Welcome to the Gold Rush of 2012! 3/24/12
Ya gotta have a plan. 3/17/12
Which are more volatile: condos or entry-level single-family? 3/10/12
"People aren't buying." 3/3/12
We bailed them out for this? 2/24/12
Trulia to San Jose metro: you're not attractive anymore. 2/18/12
The jungle drums chant "Facebook! Facebook!". 2/11/12
Thinkers and doers. 2/4/12
"Zillow: Home values in November back to 2003 levels." 1/28/10
Now that I have one, how do I play it? 1/21/12
Are short sales really a good deal? 1/14/12
Trulia or false? 1/7/12
A quick look back at 2011, and a few hasty predictions for 2012. 12/31/11
If you ain't feelin', you ain't buyin'. 12/24/11
A beginning and an end. 12/17/11
Old-fashioned charm? You bet. Scary reports? You bet. 12/10/11
"Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking..." 12/3/11
This time I'm really thankful. 11/24/11
Greed and fear are vastly over-rated. 11/19/11
Selling panic in the marketplace. 11/12/11
Does anyone ever get a "fab first home"? 11/5/11
Renters feel the pressure. Shades of 1995! 10/29/11
A client or just another hot lead? 10/22/11
Another reason we won't dry up and blow away anytime soon. 10/15/11
Which local cities and neighborhoods trail in annual price appreciation? 10/8/11
A look at the rental market, up close and personal. 10/01/11
Which local cities and areas lead in annual price appreciation? 9/24/11
Remembering 2001, our annus horribilis. 9/17/11
Exercises in real estate futility, part 2. 9/10/11
August was interesting. How interesting was it? 9/3/11
Exercises in real estate futility. 8/27/11
The hot-air balloon takes off. 8/20/11
Rents up, rates down, a ray of hope: just what the affordable resale market needs? 8/13/11
A remarkably lively corpse. 8/6/11
North Pole makes list of most affordable housing markets. 7/30/11
"4 tips for real estate software developers" hits the mark. 7/23/11
Perceptions of neighborhoods change slowly, if at all. 7/16/11
It's official: "Silicon Valley housing market is heating up fast." 7/9/11
Zestimate or WAG? 7/2/11
You, watching me, watching you. 6/25/11
You think that's fast? Watch this! part 2 6/18/11
Good seller, bad seller. 6/11/11
You think that's fast? Watch this! 6/4/11
Oh, for the "low-risk" life of a renter! 5/28/11
When ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to have market knowledge. 5/21/11
Yet another reason why agents are occasionally useful. 5/14/11
This just in: home buyers like nice homes! 5/7/11
The real estate agent: negotiator or circus performer? 4/30/11
An elegant way to miss out on the home you love. 4/23/11
The real estate agent: advisor or order-taker? 4/16/11
Getting to the truth about short sales and bank-owned homes, part 3. 4/9/11
Wild party or hospital visiting hours? 4/2/11
Getting to the truth about short sales and bank-owned homes, part 2. 3/26/11
"Up next: the end of the world is near." 3/19/11
Getting to the truth about short sales and bank-owned homes. 3/12/11
Thanks! I needed that! 3/5/11
The real estate computer horsepower wars. 2/26/11
Is their market your market? 2/19/11
Profile of a serial lowballer. 2/12/11
"Priced right, presented well" or "sell! sell! sell!"? 2/5/11
Common seller mistakes numbers 6 through 10. 1/29/11
So you'd like to be a real estate investor. 1/22/11
Common seller mistakes numbers 1 through 5. 1/15/11
The long good-bye. 1/8/11
Fearless forecast for 2011. 1/1/11
2010: here's your hat, what's your hurry? 12/24/10
The stock market gives more good advice to home buyers and sellers. 12/18/10
Okay, so I lied: in the rent-versus-buy debate, rent is the winner(?). 12/11/10
Would you buy a used car from this economist? 12/4/10
A lucky guy gives thanks. 11/25/10
Why the right lender and loan agent are important. 11/20/10
Love 'em or hate 'em, we still need 'em. 11/13/10
Another reason agents come in handy. 11/6/10
It's come to this: a lender hijacks its own short sale. 10/30/10
Real estate is really local. 10/23/10
Life when the old rules don't apply anymore. 10/16/10
Who will protect you from the protectors? 10/09/10
The leave-no-stone-unturned school of homebuying. 10/2/10
An accurate picture of somebody's market, but whose? 9/25/10
Appraisal Weirdness, the hot new reality TV show! 9/18/10
End of the world, or just another lousy August? 9/11/10
"Everything You Know Is Wrong" 9/4/10
Why sellers should get their home inspections up-front. 8/28/10
Is "10 Steps to Win Over Sellers" a winner? 8/21/10
Real buyers, real trade-offs. 8/14/10
HOA dues: rip-off, fact of life or screaming deal? 8/7/10
Latest high-tech promise: "Buy a home in 1 hour." 7/24/10
Buying secrets revealed! 7/17/10
Sometimes you really don't want to know. 7/10/10
Reflections on my own Independence Day. 7/3/10
Buyers, thinking of going AWOL this summer? Think again! 6/26/10
Out kicking tires? There's an app for that. 6/19/10
The cure for overheated real estate markets: snow, and lots of it. 6/12/10
Mortgage crisis victims wanted. Short sellers and their agents encouraged to apply. 6/5/10
Sunnyvale, where sugar daddies abound and home prices rebound. 5/29/10
Today's buyers: what are they thinking? 5/22/10
The hatching of an academic economist. 5/15/10
It's official: in the rent-versus-buy debate, "buy" is the winner. 5/8/10
Key economic data for the local housing market. 5/1/10
Why you can't take the experts and their statistics to the bank. 4/24/10
How bad was it? 4/17/10
Wall Street shows the way, part 2: "investor risk". 4/10/10
Wall Street shows the way, part 1: risk tolerance. 4/3/10
Should an agent ever say, "Don't buy this house"? 3/27/10
Here's a cure for the industry's image problem: a heavy dose of paternalism and sexism. 3/20/10
If hell had open houses. 3/13/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 7: conclusion. 3/6/10
When will buying a home be easy? 2/27/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 6: bid. 2/20/10
Mr. Science sez "own a car, lose your home". 2/13/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 5: days on market. 2/6/10
When green starts turning brown. 1/30/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 4: inventory. 1/23/10
Three great questions to ask an agent. 1/16/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 3: sales. 1/9/10
2009 in review: from deep freeze to partial thawing. 1/2/10
A brief history of local real estate, part 2: absorption. 12/19/09
Is planning ahead a good idea when buying your first home? 12/12/09
A brief history of local real estate, part 1: sales price. 12/5/09
What's better, a bird in the hand or two in the bush? 11/28/09
I take on big media. 11/21/09
New construction: Nirvana or snare and delusion? 11/14/09
Homebuyers! Even after you buy, the Internet keeps giving. 11/7/09
Why Web 1.0 is good enough for me. 10/31/09
Foreclosure factoid or tip of the iceberg? 10/24/09
Say it ain't so! 10/17/09
Etiquette tips for prospective renters. 10/10/09
More new options for the small real estate investor. 10/8/09
A few tips on open house etiquette. 10/2/09
For agents only! Recommended etiquette for broker's tour. 9/26/09
A modest proposal. 9/19/09
A second opinion on pajama journalism™. 9/12/09
Why would anyone want to buy here? 9/5/09
When yours is the only offer. 8/29/09
Let the good times roll! 8/22/09
Appraisal crisis redux. 8/15/09
A head shot speaks out. 8/8/09
Ten action steps to a better real estate tomorrow. 8/1/09
More proof that all real estate is local. 7/25/09
What the appraisal crisis really means. 7/18/09
Better speedy than good? 7/4/09
Sniping at economists from both ends of the spectrum. 6/27/09
Can local home prices go any higher? 6/20/09
Changing the rules in the middle of the game. 6/13/09
A peek into the abyss. 6/6/09
Mr. Science gives us practical advice on real estate. 5/30/09
Kids, just say no to expert opinion. 5/23/09
Hey, how's the market in Fargo, N.D.? 5/16/09
Knock down a house, get national attention. 5/9/09
Home buyers and sellers: "ignorant" or "empowered"? 5/2/09
New options for the small real estate investor. 4/28/09
The rent-versus-buy debate just got goofier. 4/25/09
Agents! Get your list price right and really annoy people! 4/18/09
"This too shall pass." 4/11/09
Should you wait to buy until it's "safe"? 4/04/09
"They paid too much!" versus the "get-it curve". 3/28/09
Do multiple offers mean anything these days? 3/21/09
Real estate without tears. 3/14/09
| A brand new tax break, historically-low interest rates, same old scary headlines: |
| is this a great time to buy or what? 3/7/09 |
May the cycle be unbroken. 2/28/09
Don't wait for a price reduction. Make your own! 2/21/09
Are everyone's favorite neighborhoods suddenly vulnerable? 2/19/09
This just in! Home prices falling! 2/14/09
Apocalypse trilogy, part 3: Nemesis wears a loud plaid sport coat. 2/7/09
Taking a closer look at those "heavily discounted" foreclosure sales. 1/31/09
Apocalypse trilogy, part 2: leading the industry out of the wilderness. 1/24/09
"We did everything right." 1/17/09
Attention first-time home buyers: prices are now officially stupid cheap. 1/13/09
Apocalypse trilogy, part 1: Did the bears and bubbleheads get it right? 1/10/09
Will bright people really walk away from their homes? 1/03/09
Palo Alto, that hotbed of foreclosure activity. 12/27/08
A tale of two markets, part 2. 12/26/08
Stigmas and stereotypes. 12/20/08
Pumped-up trilogy, part 3: Frock coats are making a comeback. 12/13/08
Giving context to those alarming foreclosure numbers. 12/6/08
Pumped-up trilogy, part 2: Scumbag or scapegoat? 11/29/08
Those huge price gains of the past ten years: do they still exist? 11/24/08
News of the weird and an interview that wanted to write itself. 11/22/08
Best pricing strategy these days: smoke and mirrors or a good product? 11/15/08
Trading lots of cynicism for a few fine sentiments. 11/08/08
"It's simple. It's just numbers." 11/1/08
This time: worse, better, about the same, or all the above? 10/28/08
Carriers of contagion. 10/25/08
September, the new "cruelest month"? 10/18/08
Solution to the financial crisis: spaghetti programming. 10/11/08
Sellers, get your list price right. 10/4/08
Four reasons I'm 100% certain we'll get through this. I think. 10/01/08
More talk, but not more truth. 9/27/08
The low-ball offer: slick maneuver or heavy blunt instrument? 9/20/08
And thanks for sharing! 9/13/08
What goes around usually keeps coming around. 9/6/08
What do first-time buyers really want? 8/30/08
The new real estate landscape: it's a jungle out there. 8/23/08
Zestimates: home valuations designed for Mr. Spock. 8/16/08
Great schools by the numbers. 8/9/08
Here, the mortgage crisis is bottom-heavy. 8/2/08
Making sense of market indicators, part 5: absorption. 7/26/08
Times ask for profundities, get everything but. 7/19/08
Making sense of market indicators, part 4: bid. 7/12/08
George F. Babbitt, real estate broker and bogeyman. 7/5/08
Making sense of market indicators, part 3: sales price. 6/28
One less reason to hate real estate agents. 6/21/08
Has the market really bottomed? 6/10/08
Making sense of market indicators, part 2: days on market. 6/14/08
How would you report this? 6/7/08
Making sense of market indicators, part 1: sales. 5/31/08
Quick take on short sales and foreclosures. 5/24/08
Car salesperson? Real estate agent? What's the difference? 5/17/08
The spreadsheet guerillas strike again. 5/10/08
Yahoo! or Gotcha!? 5/3/08
There they go again. 4/26/08
How has the credit crunch affected local home prices? 4/19/08
Look in the mirror and say hello to your competition. 4/12/08
The new "jumbo lights": silver bullet or big bust? 4/5/08
Some recent—and huge—changes in home lending. 3/29/08
Fired real estate reporter: prima donna or martyr to the cause? 3/22/08
Where are home prices? Depends on who you ask, and on what they look at. 3/15/08
An odd little real estate story, even by newspaper standards. 3/8/08
Maybe it's me, but someone doesn't get it. 3/1/08
The role of the insider in an age with no mysteries. 2/23/08
Cold as a banker's heart. 2/16/08
ABC News waves wand, turns "low overhead" into "upscale". 1/1/08
Sleazeballs 1, Distinguished Academics 0. 12/31/07
Redfin, renegades and engineer-worship. 12/29/07
The heresies of an economist. 12/28/07
Data don't lie, but sometimes they mumble. 12/26/07
Pandora's box and dangerous thoughts. 12/23/07
Answering today's top three real estate questions. 12/20/07
Born to regulate. 12/18/07
Identifying the real "friction" in the system. 12/17/07
One socio-economic crisis, hold the moralizing. 12/15/07
A bubblehead lets his hair down. 12/14/07
Shut up and sign: "Don't ask, don't tell" comes to real estate. 12/13/07
"The fine print giveth, and the fine print taketh away." 11/29/07
"Green" pools: foreclosure factoid or new urban legend? 11/25/07
"Pumped-up prices" and "the devil made me do it". 11/3/07
What's next? A DOJ bubble blog? 11/2/07
Anatomy of a market in distress. 11/1/07
The Blame Game™, 2007 Edition. 9/11/07
Prudent buyer seeks real estate market with potential. 9/8/07
Is home buying impulse buying? 9/3/07
More than a game, less than a war. 9/3/07
Real estate reporter mad as hell, not going to take it anymore. 8/2/07
Buyers! Time that market! 7/30/07
Sellers! Hold out for top dollar! 7/27/07
Do consumers get the real estate marketplace they ask for? 7/26/07
Real estate is local—very local. Very local. 7/26/07
An economist gets "naked", down and dirty. 7/25/07
Why not use the listing agent to make your offer? 7/11/07
A noted value investor looks at real estate. 7/3/07
Leveling the ol' playing field. 7/2/07
New Look! New Focus! Bigger Teeth! 7/2/07
Is home buying conspicuous consumption? 6/10/07
Diary of a midlife crisis. 6/9/07
Whole lotta tragedy goin' on. 5/9/07
"It looks like foreclosures are here to stay!" 4/22/07
Envy, nuanced markets and pajama journalism. 4/19/07
"Mad genius" predicts end is near. 4/19/07
Another big (and direct) hit from "60 Minutes". 1/14/07
A look back at 2006, and a look ahead. 1/7/07
Looking for truth in all the wrong places. 11/26/06
A voice crying in the wilderness. 11/25/06
Real estate auctions: Next big thing or next pets.com? 11/24/06
So you wanna to be a part-time rock’n’roll star. 11/23/06
They're rolling back prices! 11/16/06
"Bubble-proof markets." 11/15/06
Hey! It's a buyer's market! Buy something! 11/14/06
Time to run "nattering nabobs of negativism" up the flagpole again? 11/04/06
Real estate, rock 'n' roll and the buyers who love them. 10/29/06
Buyer's market? Yes and no. Maybe no. 10/19/06
Selling in the post-Katrina market. 9/14/06
Taking a GlobeXplorer view of real estate. 8/28/06
This risk avoidance stuff can be risky. 8/26/06
Rentals redux. 8/26/06
Buyers, be sure you know which bus you're waiting for. 8/25/06
When do things get back to normal? 7/22/06
A healthy antidote to Someday-I'll-Make-A-Fortune Syndrome. 7/7/06
BoycottHousing.com: old idea, new packaging. 7/11/06
Real estate the "online community" way. 6/26/07
The back story behind the strong numbers. 6/3/06
What's needed: a money-back guarantee, a disclaimer or a warning label? 5/29/06
A tale of two markets: which is the future? 5/28/06
The rental market: there's something big out there. 5/11/06
Bubble talk: Cause or symptom of a declining market? 2/7/06
Sellers, is the first offer you get the best you'll ever get? 2/5/06
The additional challenges agents face when selling condos. 2/5/06
The benefits of home ownership: Better life! Fresher breath! 2/3/06
What's the payback for remodeling before you sell? 1/26/06
Buyer or seller, put the ball in play. 1/25/06
It's war out there: the buyers' perspective. 1/25/06
Should I sell my home "as is", or fix it up? 1/25/06
Benchmarks with baggage. 1/25/06
The Rodney Dangerfield of real estate markets. 1/24/06
Sellers, stage your home for fun and profit. 1/24/06
How many economists does it take to "get" a real estate market? 1/24/06
If today is great, won't tomorrow be even better? 1/24/06
Is now a good time to sell, or should I wait? 1/24/06
Is now a good time to buy, or should I wait? 1/23/06
The new thinking behind setting your home's list price. 1/23/06
Having work done to your home? Take a close look at who does it. 1/22/06
Three tips to help buyers hit the bull's eye: Focus, focus, focus. 1/22/06
Sixty-seven would-be buyers, one beat-up house. 1/22/06
What buyers and sellers need to know about the loan pre-approval letter. 1/22/06
Searching for the soft underbelly of the market. 1/22/06
Am I too late to the party? 1/22/06
Real estate market or stock market, be very afraid of "this time, it's different". 1/22/06
Are some areas better investments than others? 1/21/06
Buyer beware? These days it's "seller beware". 1/21/06
Too good to be true? Could be a clue. 1/21/06
Are condos and townhouses a poor investment? 1/21/06
Learn the back story of real estate:
Welcome to my world. 7/25/07
Real estate illusion and reality. 7/25/07
Real estate boiled down to its fundamentals. 1/1/07
Know what you don't know about real estate. 7/2/07
The real estate business model, part 1: friend or foe? 7/2/07
The real estate business model, part 2: let’s see that train wreck again, in slow motion. 7/2/07
The real estate business model, part 3: tragedy and farce in three acts. 7/8/07
The real estate business model, part 4: it’s a funny business. 7/2/07
The real estate business model, part 5: real estate reform. 7/2/07
Bubblehead trilogy: the movement. 6/29/07
Bubblehead trilogy: the manifesto. 6/28/07
Bubblehead trilogy: the messenger. 6/29/07