Housing News Digest, December 2

Housing Market Lags Other Areas Of Recovery
The housing industry continues to be a drag on the economy. David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, talks to Steve Inskeep about the state of the housing market, and possible action the administration might take to boost this critical sector of the economy.

Stalled growth: Down economy slows some subdivisions in Fruita area

When the local economy was booming a few years ago, new subdivisions sprang up across the Grand Valley like dandelions in the spring.

In some subdivisions, developers extended themselves financially to pay for infrastructure construction and couldn’t hang onto the lots when prices dropped and buyers disappeared. At other subdivisions, lot and home prices were lowered to continue to attract new interest.

Colorado State's Everitt Real Estate Center Conference asks 'Are Governments Shrinking Their Real Estate Portfolios?' Dec. 8

FORT COLLINS - Government’s management and role in real estate ownership can deeply impact the economic outlook of a city, state or even an entire nation. In today’s challenging economic climate, state and local governments’ budgets are even more constrained, which may impact future acquisitions and dispositions of existing portfolios.

This topic will be discussed at Colorado State’s Everitt Real Estate Center conference “Government and Real Estate: Regulatory Impacts vs. Future Opportunities.” The event will be held from 8- 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 8 at North Ballroom Room of the Lory Student Center on campus. Public and private residential and commercial real estate professionals are welcome.

A look at the state of Colorado mountain resorts
Mountain resorts always have played a big role in the Colorado economy and in the lives of Coloradans. They contribute significantly to Colorado’s tourism economy, through real estate sales as well as through skiing and other activity revenue.

Front Range skiers and out-of-state visitors generate that revenue. This is a look at the condition of the mountain real estate market in the last few years, the impact of the 2008 recession, the impact of I-70 traffic, how the resorts are dealing with these challenges and what they see in their future.

Declines in U.S. construction employment, amid a weak housing market, are tempering optimism over a sharp drop in the unemployment rate, staffing industry executives said.

Analysis: Weak housing tempers U.S. jobs optimism
U.S. housing is dragging on economic growth despite signs that the economic recovery is gaining some traction. The U.S. jobless rate unexpectedly dipped to 8.6 percent last month, while the gain of 120,000 non-farm jobs was roughly in line with forecasts.