2009 Real Estate forecast isn’t good

December 28, 2008 – 4:59 am – No Comment

In 2008, those in the subprime market saw their investments go down the drain. Next year may be even worse…

Until now, the nation’s most serious home price declines have been in low-cost markets that were dominated by subprime mortgages, and in overbuilt markets such as Florida, California, and Las Vegas, where residential values are sliding fast toward pre-housing boom levels.

The Commerce Dept. reported Dec. 23 that November new-home sales in the U.S. fell to their lowest level in 17 years, down 35.3% compared with November 2007. And the outlook is even bleaker. The same day, Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS – News) forecast that more than 8 million homes will go into foreclosure over the next four years, or approximately 16% of all U.S. households with mortgages.

The housing market is expected to continue the fall next year, but hopefully we will see a bottom to housing prices and an increase in lending…hopefully.

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