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Housing Starts at its lowest

By
Real Estate Agent with Dave Woodson

"I like thinking big...if you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big."

Donald Trump (1946 – )
Real estate developer

i am not a doom and gloom kind of guy, and I am not going to start here.  So, allow me a little liberty here.  One of the issues, of a lot of builders were that they over build.  They took the "field of dreams" mentality, if you build it they will come.  I read an article yesterday that a builder in Chicago had terminated most of its staff and ceased nearly all work since they had 5 years of homes to sell.

Now, does that make sense - 5 years of homes to sell.  They worked themselves out of a job.  Did they not have have a forecast to work off.  I know the mortgage meltdown caught a lot of people by surprise, but 5 years is a little too much of the silver lining than I would ever be. 

I am sure that this one company is not alone.  I am sure that you can look in your own backyard and see a few builders that are in the same situation.  They simply over built.  I could go on and on about some of the practices that some of the larger builders have done to basically cut their nose off to spite their face.

So, when you hear that home starts are down, what we are not hearing or even looking at is home many of these builders have invetory that they simply over built.

Dave Woodson

The Indiana Loan Officer

Lewis Beynon
CENTURY 21 Triangle Group - Raleigh, NC
Lew B Realty

Five years sounds too extreme.  Having had been in the inventory management field, something sounds wrong.  As a matter of fact, maybe the owner should be fired for being so stupid as to build so much inventory.  He'll probably file bankruptcy and be just fine, meanwhile all his staff is out of jobs. 

Aug 19, 2008 01:39 AM
Jeff&Grace Safrin
F.C.Tucker 1st Team Real Estate - Valparaiso, IN
SpousesSellingHousesTM

We have a friend in the Chicago marketplace that verifies that a building frenzy went on ( and a flipping frenzy too) and now there is much inventory sitting.

but 5 years supply is wild Dave! must have deep pockets :)

Sincerely,

Grace

Aug 19, 2008 03:59 AM
Justin Ukaoma
Vizion KC - Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Real Estate Investments

Wow 5 years of inventory thats just crazy.  Part of running a business is calculating risk.  Didnt they think that having a 5 years supply of homes was a little risky.

Aug 19, 2008 04:12 AM