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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Rich Are Tanking Too

From Realtor Magazine Online, Daily Real Estate News February 3, 2009

Luxury homes used to be immune to market downturns, but this recession is different. The housing market is volatile at all levels.

Here are some reasons for caution when investing in high-end homes:

* Jumbo defaults. The delinquency rate for jumbo loans is 6.9 percent, three times higher than the rate for regular conforming loans.

* Fewer buyers. The number of buyers for $1 million-plus homes is shrinking as the economy falters.

* Wealthy areas are hard hit. Home prices in California, Nevada, and New York have fallen the farthest.

* The rich are in debt too. From 1995 to 2004, the top 1 percent of Americans in terms of wealth more than doubled their mortgage and residential debt to $494 billion.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Robert Frank (02/02/2009)

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