Dear Monty: Is America in a housing bubble? We think today’s out-of-control real estate market is crazy. We are attempting to downsize our lifestyle with a smaller home. In two instances, we made an offer, and someone outbid us. Our home is free and clear, so we are cash buyers. We don’t want to sell until we know we’ve got a place to go. Unfortunately, there are not many homes to look at, so we don’t want to sell our house first and end up compromising on our new home. Home trade-in programs and iBuyers are costly. What other options are available to us?
Monty’s Answer: While no one knows for sure what will happen with our economy, including the housing sector, many economists are scratching their heads trying to understand the data to predict the future. Predicting outcomes is a big part of their work. Economists are sharing their thoughts and have very different views of the future. Economist John Mauldin warns of a coming tsunami. Another economist, Alan Blinder, recently explained our booming economy in The Wall Street Journal.
