Here goes my pet peeve again San Francisco Case Shiller Index
So I woke up this morning to NPR singing that the new S&P/Case-Shiller Index is out and San Francisco is down over thirteen percent?!!! My heart skipped a beat for a second because I was half asleep and I had a mini panic attack thinking ‘When did San Francisco drop so much when I wasn’t looking? That hasn’t been my experience in this market where did that number come from?’
The Sky is Falling!
Sometimes it would appear that way per all the negative press that abounds regarding real estate. NOT that I am burying my head in the sand – there’s no question a good chunk of California is experiencing some serious pains, and even here in SF where in 14 years, I rarely if ever, saw a short sale until last October; I’ll admit to it becoming far less of the rare example, at least for the southern part of the city.
That being said – the doom machine has long been at work where the press is concerned and no where is there a better way to see that, than to revisit some historic headlines from era’s gone by.
Please do enjoy, North American Title passed them my way several months ago…
“The prices of houses seem to have reached a plateau, and there is reasonable expectancy that prices will decline.” Time Magazine, 1947
“The goal of owning a home seems to be getting beyond the reach of more and more Americans.” Business Week, 1969
“The era of easy profits in real estate may be drawing to a close.” Money Magazine, 1981
“Most economists agree…a home will become little more than a roof and a tax deduction, certainly not the lucrative investment it was…” Money Magazine, 1986
“Financial planners agree that houses will continue to be a poor investment.” Kiplinger’s Personal Financial Magazine, 1993
“A home is where a bad investment is.” San Francisco Examiner, 1996.