One in seven people surveyed said they intended on buying residential property as an investment – a sharp drop from the one in four who indicated the same desire a year ago.

Today’s presence of underwater mortgages, or homes with negative equity, seem to be correlated to two common regional U.S. population trends: domestic immigration from the Northeastern region to the South and Southwestern and migration from coastal California inland.

While traditional methods such a newspaper and magazine ads still have their place, New Zealanders like many others now go online for a large portion of their research.

Hopes rose for a comeback in the U.S. housing market with recent announcements that new home sales rose again in July, posting the highest numbers since September 2008.

Home prices around the U.S. appreciated enormously in the first seven years of the decade, but declines over the last two years now dominate the headlines. But which markets showed the biggest early gains and largest recent dip? According to analysis by Nielsen Claritas of 254 counties with populations of a 250K or more found that counties in California and Florida dominated both categories.
Top 10 Counties with the Highest Percentage Decrease in Median Home Value from 2007-09

Rank
County
% Change from 2000-07
%Change 2007-09

1
Merced Cty, CA
192.0%
-37.6%

2
San Joaquin Cty, CA
185.9%
-36.1%

3
Stanislaus …