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Why The Real Estate Boom Will Not Bust Essay

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In the mid-2000’s, the US experienced an economic boom and many cashed in. Between 1975 and 2007 the price of real estate steadily increased and investing in real estate was considered smart and safe (Baily, Litam, Johnson, 2008, p. 11). Banks were willing to negotiate loans with any borrower, even those with poor credit, (called “subprime” mortgages). With this easy credit, the economy appeared strong. Housing prices continued to climb at an incredible rate, thereby creating a real estate “bubble”. Real estate values increased 124% between 1997 and 2006 (Bianco, 2008. p.6). As the real estate bubble grew, increasing numbers of investments were tied to real estate. In 2006, chief economist of the US National Association of Realtors published a book entitled, “Why the Real Estate Boom Will Not Bust – And How You Can Profit From It” (Beachey, 2012, p.3). A ticking bomb in this boom was the increase in subprime mortgages. Many homeowners took loans which they could not afford. Many lenders ignored the risks of issuing "credit" to people with poor credit. The reason that lenders increasingly gave risky loans is an example of moral hazard. Lenders collected high-risk loans and bundled them with low-risk loans to sell as securities, thereby passing the risk onto someone else. Securities were sold to international/domestic investors and were guaranteed by insurance companies, such as AIG. As 2008 dawned, cracks in the housing bubble appeared and soon the bubble burst. The

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