property

Across Corn Belt, Farmland Prices Keep Soaring

"Farmers are carrying less debt than they were 30 years ago, and low interest rates are also a factor because they make it less costly for farmers to borrow. The federal crop insurance program also plays a role in keeping farmland prices high, by covering a majority of losses in revenue or crop yields. Some lenders have reported that a number of farmers are taking out loans based on the current value of their land to take advantage of the farmland boom. Fed officials and some real estate brokers said these buyers could be in trouble if interest rates rose and crop prices fell." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAcross Corn Belt, Farmland Prices Keep Soaring

Where the Big Players Are Buying Housing

"The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has put out a very informative chart on where three big money players are buying houses, how much they are spending and a bit about their investment strategies. Distressed sales are declining because these giants, and others, are picking up what is on the market. The housing downturn is over. From the supply side prices will be pushed higher. If Bernanke's new money printing gets into the system, prices will also be pushed higher from the demand side." Continue reading →

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Another Eurozone Country Bites The Dust

"What's unique in the collapsing housing bubble in Cyprus is a title-deed scandal of unimaginable proportions. And it has embroiled waves of foreign buyers. The banks aren't talking. And they aren't writing down their assets to reflect the layers of mortgages that are worthless. Developers are going bust. The money they pocketed has disappeared. Expat homeowners who don't hold title deeds are terrified of losing their homes, even if they paid cash. There are no legal processes in place to resolve this. Estimates of the missing money range from €3 to €6 billion—enough to take down all Cypriot banks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother Eurozone Country Bites The Dust