Is the inventory shortage a communication issue?

There is a housing shortage, but I bet you knew that. But have you ever wondered why? Sure, the Great Recession had its impact. Builders have been slow to recover and the population is growing -- but there could be another reason for the shortage: simple communication. A missed opportunity A double-sided postcard recently arrived in the mail from a noted real estate agent in town. It included a typical community picture, details about the agent’s skills and a chart addressing recent neighborhood home sales. But how many of those on the receiving end were real estate junkies fascinated by the list-to-sales price ratio or the time-on-market column? What might homeowners care about more than recent sales? One of the great stats of 2016 came when CoreLogic pointed out that 93.7 percent of all mortgaged homes in the U.S. had positive equity in the third quarter, with only 6.3 percent in the red. These are astounding numbers considering how far we fell after the boom. Rem...