Top 55 Housing Resource Blogs: Gaining a Solid Foundation in Housing and Finance Information.

When I started this blog nearly a year ago, there were a solid number of websites providing information regarding the housing and credit bubble. The mainstream media was slowly starting to produce some stories about the housing and credit markets but not to the level of the online blogging community. Three years ago, I started searching for information regarding the housing market and the amount of resources was limited at best. Very few dissenting voices even commented about the risky nature of subprime lending and the debt being created. The current atmosphere is very different.

I wanted to provide you a list of 55 housing resource blogs that have provided food for thought throughout this housing bubble and will (hopefully) continue to do so. Some of these sites are regional, some strictly talk about mortgages, and some dabble in the art of schadenfreude. Others examine the political nature of the current market. Many provide insight into managing your finances and preparing for a purchase or sale of a home. The list is not ranked in order of importance or significance and is not intended to be exhaustive.

Top 55 Housing Resources Blogs:

Regional Housing Sites

1. Bubble Markets Inventory Tracking – This great site hosted by ocrenter tracks inventory in many metro areas including San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, Phoenix, and Las Vegas to name a few.
2. California Housing Forecast – Excellent site examining the Southland and also discussing national housing trends.
3. Dr. Housing Bubble Blog – I may be biased about this one. Site looks at Southern California Real Homes of Genius and examines macroeconomic and mortgage issues that impact the Southland and nation.
4. Irvine Housing Blog – Site examines one of the most overpriced areas in Orange County, Irvine. Examples of overpriced homes and discussion about building issues.
5. LA Times Land Blog – A recent addition to the housing world. Glad to see a mainstream newspaper add a housing blog section. Updates regularly regarding the housing market and the Southern California area.
6. Piggington’s Econo-Almanac – One of the first housing blogs looking at the canary in the mine, San Diego. Examining the San Diego market with excellent charts and analysis.
7. Southern California Real Estate Bubble Crash Blog – Another older blog updated by Chuck Ponzi. Examines media information and provides links to pertinent housing information.
8. The Rancid Truth: Orange County – Blog examining the Orange County housing market with frequent updates and commentary.
9. Westside Bubble - Takes a look at data and examples of overpriced homes in Southern California. Nothing says housing bubble like an overpriced home in Southern California.
10. Sacramento Land(ing) – Excellent site examining the state capital and their overpriced housing market.
11. Sonoma Housing Bubble – An older site examining regional specific issues and offering commentary regarding the housing market.
12. The Central Coast Housing Bubble Blog – Examining housing price inflation and it’s effects on the economy from Santa Maria to Paso Robles.
13. Baltimore Housing Bubble – Blog examining the East Coast market and taking a deeper look at the Baltimore area.
14. Denver Real Estate Bubble – Blog examining floppers in the Denver Metro Area. Real Homes of Genius exist all over the country.
15. Housing Doom Blog – Site examining the Arizona housing market. Provides national commentary and updated information regarding the housing bubble.
16. Northern Virginia Housing Bubble Fallout – Examining the Greater Northern Virginia Real Estate Market as it slowly depreciates.
17. New York City Housing Bubble – Great site providing links, videos, and updates regarding the housing market from a New Yorker perspective.

National Housing Sites

18. Patrick.net – One of the original housing bloggers. Excellent website providing thoughtful analysis of the national housing market. Northern California birth but now encompasses entire housing market.
19. Speculative Bubble – This site collects updated information from multiple housing sites. An excellent resource to briefly examine what is new in the housing world.
20. Calculated Risk – Older site with thorough analysis of the housing market. Excellent articles and top notch graphs.
21. David Lereah Watch – I have to include this blog even though it is no longer updated. Site trying to keep the former NAR chief honest.
22. Lawrence Yun Watch – New site following the new head of NAR. What will they be saying with all that is going on in the housing market?
23. Mortgage Implode-o-Meter – Examining the junk yard of defunct mortgage lenders. The current list stands at 110. Will it grow this year? I’ll take a wild guess and say yes.
24. Mortgage Fraud Blog – Great site examining news articles about those mortgage lenders and brokers that did shady loans. A perspective from an attorney. I’m sure the articles will only be growing as the year progresses.
25. Housing Panic – One of the first housing blogs. Commentary and news post regarding the housing bubble. If you are looking for housing schadenfreude and updated content, this place is for you.
26. Countrywide Foreclosures Blog – Tracking the economic effects of the bubble by looking at the number and amount of foreclosures from Countrywide.
27. Blown Mortgage – Excellent site looking at mortgage issues from someone in the industry. Provides credit tips and commentary regarding the market.
28. The Great Depression 2006 – Providing housing market insight and commentary. How deep will the housing impact go?
29. Housebubble.com – One of the first news link resources regarding the housing bubble. Links to other blogs and headlines.
30. Housing Bubble Bust – Another older site examining links and housing information regarding the housing bust.
31. Housing Wire – Examining the mortgage industry and one of the first bloggers to give an inside look to what was transpiring in the industry.
32. Paper Money – Excellent website with charts and graphs regarding the overall national housing market.

Finance Sites

33. Bull! Not Bull! – Great site providing economic links and analysis regarding the housing, commodities, and political worlds.
34. The Digerati Life – You need to manage your finances before buying a home (okay, not everyone has followed this path but they unfortunately are now feeling pain). This great finance site provides tips regarding money and enhancing your overall net worth.
35. Dollar Collapse – Excellent site providing information regarding commodities, housing, credit, and political markets. Author of How to Profit from the Coming Real Estate Bust.
36. Economist’s View – You need to understand economics to understand what is going on in the current housing and credit markets. Excellent site providing insight into micro and macro economics.
37. Fall Street – Fall Street provides an excellent headline aggregator providing top stories regarding stocks and the housing market.
38. Fiend’s SuperBear Page – One of the older bear sites online with many links to relevant economic articles.
39. Financial Armageddon – Insights on debts, derivates, and other pressing issues concerning our economy. Excellent site from the author.
40. Financial Sense – Commentary from various articles from multiple industries. Excellent site for reading commentary on various sectors of the economy.
41. iTulip – Older site providing an excellent forum, links, and commentary regarding the credit bubble. One of the sites to predict the technology bubble decline.
42. The Mess That Greenspan Made – Take a guess what this blog is about? Interesting insight into the economic policies of bad macroeconomics and the current marketplace.
43. Money Files – Excellent news aggregator with links on housing, credit, debt, mortgages, commodities, and politics.
44. Steve Quayle – Interesting links and contrarian perspectives. Host of a radio show.
45. W.C. Varones Blog – Perspective regarding many issues from politics, economics, and other issues from our neighbor in San Francisco.

Online Research for Buyers/Sellers

46. Housing Tracker – Excellent resource site examining home asking prices with graphs and trend information.
47. DRE Real Estate Agent/Broker Number - How many people have their real estate/broker license in California? Currently the number stands at 537,038.
48. Real Estate Cycles – Quick look at previous real estate cycles; dates of peaks and intervals between boom and bust. We’ve been here before.
49. Zip Realty – Looking for information on buying or selling a house? You can sign up for free and take a look at home prices, neighborhood data, and inventory numbers with this site.
50. Zillow – The debate goes on about the future of home buying and selling. Zillow is an excellent resource for finding previous sales data and current market numbers in the U.S. Give it a shot and see what your “Zestimate” is on your home. The tool seems more accurate in stable markets that stayed away from the current housing bubble (i.e., large overpriced metro areas).
51. Redfin – Excellent site for researching your next home. Provides detailed sales information and neighborhood data. Not available in all areas. Is this the future of real estate buying and selling?
52. Quick View of Major Builder Stocks - A quick snapshot of how major builders are doing in the stock market.
53. Housing Sales Data – Great site providing tons of information regarding housing sales and information regarding the U.S. housing market.
54. National City Housing Valuation Analysis – One of the better interactive charts giving you an estimate of how over (or under) priced markets are in the U.S.
55. Census – You’re paying for this information with your taxes! Research your community for employment growth, housing stats, and population trends.

So there it is. Plenty of reading to keep you busy and informed regarding the housing market. It is hard to believe how much information is now out there including what the mainstream media is providing. There are many other housing, finance, and business related links that I’m sure come to your mind. Go ahead and post them in the comment section.

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