Wichita Eagle:  Job fears stop area homebuyers - A national survey says money and job security are the main reasons homebuyers are staying on the sidelines. But in Wichita, those reasons are reversed, experts say.                                                                                     - Published in Page 1B, Wichita Eagle, The (KS)

VOX:  The (mythical?) housing wealth effect - "Much commentary in the financial press over the last several months has been concerned with the impact of falling house prices on consumer spending. While some see evidence of “green shoots” and hope for economic growth over the horizon, many still fear that lower home values will depress consumer spending..."

Wichita Eagle:  Steady local home values seen as gain - "The fundamentals of the Wichita real estate market remain relatively constant, Longhofer said: low new and existing home inventories, good interest rates...But declining construction costs have put some new homebuilders under the gun, Longhofer said."

Wall Street Journal:  Guest Contribution: The (Mythical?) Housing Wealth Effect - "'Much commentary in the financial press over the last several months has been concerned with the impact of falling house prices on consumer spending. While some see evidence of “green shoots” and hope for economic growth over the horizon, many still fear that lower home values will depress consumer spending...'"

Wichita Eagle:  U.S. home sales rise slightly - "'One thing to keep in mind about the way numbers look locally versus nationally is that the national figure is run through a seasonal adjustment -- what normally happens in April -- and then annualize it, or multiply it by 12,' said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  'So if you compared their seasonally adjusted rate to a year ago, it would be down.'"

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita's new-home starts drag - "'I think we're starting to see some construction in some of the hardest hit areas again,' said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate. 'California, Florida, the areas so big that they dominate the national numbers.'  But until existing-home sales improve in Wichita, Longhofer said new-home starts will continue to lag. Wichita-area sales were 30 percent off in March from a year ago."

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita's commercial real estate faces challenges - "But liquidity is a bigger issue in Wichita, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  'The main impact that's coming here is secondary, but it could be pretty big,' Longhofer said.  'Relatively speaking, there's not a lot of big, big projects here requiring secondary market financing. But if you've got one that needs $50 million to $100 million, that's hard to find because you've got to syndicate that.'"

Wichita Eagle:  Home sales up, but still below '08 - "The bottom line: March represents a decent start toward a Wichita market recovery, but brokers and analysts will watch sales this summer before proclaiming a turnaround.  'It's going to take a couple of months before we start to see the tax credit, the increased traffic from the Parade of Homes, to translate into closings,' said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  'The April, May and June numbers will tell us if we're rebounding from the declines or holding our own.'"

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita home sales drop 35 percent in March - "The continued sales decline -- despite doggedly optimistic predictions from brokers a month ago -- was no surprise, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  'Our forecast includes declines through the first part of the year,' Longhofer said, 'with sales rising by the end of the year.  Anecdotally, I hear from Realtors there's a lot of traffic. The fact is, though, that will take some time to translate into closings."

Forbes:  Midwest home sales post 7 pct annual decline - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate, said the city has so far not seen a big impact from major layoffs this winter in the key aviation industry although he said those effects don't always show up in the statistics.  "In a more normal economic time, even if you have some layoffs, other people in the market who aren't affected can still go about their business," Longhofer said. "I think what's been very different with this downturn has been that a lot of people who are not affected directly (by layoffs) are behaving with a lot of fear and they're just holding back from any big-ticket purchases."

Wichita Eagle:  Signs of revival for home sales - The lookers came out in March, in Wichita and nationwide, with several local brokers saying the month may represent a head start on a home sales rebound.  "I'm talking to people and they're saying they're getting foot traffic," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  "I'm not skeptical of it, but I'm not getting hopeful about it yet, either."

Wichita Eagle:  Sedgwick County's 2009 property values flat - Flat valuations are not surprising, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real estate.  "That's exactly what I expected," Longhofer said.  People whose homes do see a rise in appraised value need to remember, Longhofer said, that "the county appraiser's job is to determine what is the fair market value for this home. It may be that it was undervalued in the past."

Wichita Eagle:  Buy new Park City home, get $3,500 - "Everyone is looking for the trick that will jump-start new home sales again," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  "No one believes that the level we're at is a normal, sustainable level of construction activity given the population growth we have and the recycling of the housing stock.  "So I think what you are seeing is developers, builders and others looking for what they can do to get the people on the sidelines to pull the trigger."

Wichita Eagle:  Region's home sales plummet in January - Local and national brokers and economists blame economic uncertainty for the decline, saying housing sales will remain soft until Americans feel secure in their jobs.  "What else can explain it?" said Stan Longhofer, who directs WSU's Center for Real Estate.  "Both buyers and sellers are staying out of the market. Not due to the economic fundamentals of the market, but because they're afraid."

USA Today:  Real estate: In Wichita, sales drop, but market stays stable - Wichita's housing market seemed grim in December. But it wasn't as bad as it was in November.  "Our home sales started falling at the end of 2007," says Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University. "Then they dropped off pretty substantially in 2008. And in November, sales dropped through the floor."

Wichita Eagle:  Turnaround predicted for Wichita's housing market in the fourth quarter - Fourth-quarter 2009 existing-home sales were forecast to be up 2.4 percent and new-home sales up 10 percent, with new-home construction up 6.6 percent.  The fourth-quarter rally won't save the year, said Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate: Existing- and new-home sales will still fall by double digits from 2008.  In fact, new-home sales will be down 30 percent in the second quarter of this year, Longhofer forecasts, a quarter later than local building permits will bottom out.

Wichita Eagle:  Analyst: Wichita housing slumping - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate, will present the revised forecast figures at the 2009 Spring Real Estate Roundtable at noon today in the Rhatigan Student Center Ballroom at WSU.   Existing home sales are estimated at 7,520 units, off 11 percent from 2008, Longhofer said. New home sales will decline by 17 percent to 1,280 units.  Single-family residential building permits are projected to decline by 19 percent to 1,430 units.

Wichita Eagle:  Commercial investment event sees drop in interest - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate, agreed with Saville.  "It's probably more of the vagaries of particular situations," he said. "If anything, you'd expect a lot of people to attend. It's probably more of where... brokers are with their clients."

Wichita Eagle:  Smaller tax credit may not boost home sales - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate, called the removal of the repayment provision on the tax credit a "significant move."  "Without that, it wouldn't make a lick of difference for people thinking of buying," he said.  But any tax credit that doesn't target all future homebuyers won't bolster the market, Longhofer said.  "If you really want a good kick-start for the market, doing something for all buyers is the better kick," he said.

Wichita Eagle:  Price of Wichita homes up - In a survey released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors, the median home price in Wichita was $118,200 in the fourth quarter, 3.9 percent higher than a year earlier.  That placed Wichita eighth in the nation in price appreciation...But the association's report isn't perfect in showing the changes in value of houses, said Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University.  It reflects which segments of the market are selling as much as changes in home prices, he said.

Wichita Eagle:  Layoffs pinching local housing market - Sales are down, but the remainder of the market's key indicators continue to hover near record levels, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  There are about 4 ½ months of homes available for sale, a key inventory indicator that the Wichita housing market remains healthy.  Existing homes spend about two months on the market before they sell, and they sell for almost 97 percent of list, both solid numbers.  "I think that how you view this market depends a lot on your perspective," Longhofer said.

Wichita Eagle:  Interest rates are lowest in years, yet housing lags - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate, isn't convinced that lowering interest rates is the panacea for the local housing market.  It may be as simple as buyer and seller psychology.  "I know lending standards are tight here, but every word I get from Realtors and lenders is that money is available," Longhofer said.  "You've got guidelines to meet, but they're not unreasonable guidelines."  Longhofer's solution: Helping buyers and sellers understand the individual nature of their economic situations.

Wichita Business Journal:  Home foreclosures rise 12 percent in 2008, but Wichita, Kansas well below U.S. averages - Data from Sedgwick County shows 2,066 mortgage foreclosures were filed here last year, up from 1,851 in 2007 — a rather ho-hum increase that one expert says almost could be attributed to the natural increase in population. “It’s no more surprising than us seeing a slow, steady upward trend of cars on the road — or anything out there,” says Stan Longhofer, director of the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate.

Wichita Eagle:  Amid gloom in housing, good news for Wichita - ...here's the good news: 2003 was a record sales year in Wichita at the time, in the midst of a decade of record-setting years until the national economy began to slow in 2007.  And while sales fell, the city's housing inventory -- a key indicator of the local market's health -- retreated back to historic levels of 4.5 months in December, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.

Wichita Eagle:  Realty merger adds commercial - It's a "reasonable business move" in the current commercial climate, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  But not for economic reasons.  "The reasons some people think we may have a commercial fire sale have little to do with the recession," he said. "It has to do with the financial crisis."  The reason, Longhofer said, is the way many commercial loans are structured: a balloon-type format that comes up for renewal frequently.

Wichita Business Journal:  Observers: Home sales can withstand hit from layoffs - But Stan Longhofer, director of the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate, says home sales statistics from that time period don’t show any major corresponding dip. In fact, most months saw year-to-year increases in sales.  Because of that, Longhofer says he doesn’t expect the city to see much “measurable impact” on its housing market this time around.  He notes the city’s sales already are down, significantly in some cases. In November, they were off 37 percent from the previous year.  Longhofer blames most of that decrease on a lack of consumer confidence.

Wichita Eagle:  2009 called Year of the Tenant as commercial market softens - The good news for tenants is static rents.  "If your lease is up, this isn't a market this year where you're going to see substantial rent increases," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  But conversely, 2009 will be a tightrope for property owners, with lenders pulling on one end and tenants on the other looking for better deals.  "The owners of buildings will be getting financing pressure to make sure they're occupied," Longhofer said.

KAKE News:  Slumping Economy Not Severely Affecting Kansas' Housing Market - The slumping economy is beginning to take a toll on people buying and selling homes, but because the sale and pricing of real estate is almost always determined by local conditions, bad national sales don't necessarily spell doom in Kansas.  Industry experts say local home sales have slowed recently, but not enough to dramatically change the housing market.

Newton Kansan:  Fear part of local economic situation - Dr. Stanley Longhofer, director of Wichita State University’s Center for Real Estate and the school’s Stephen L. Clark Chair of Real Estate and Finance, spoke to the Newton Area Board of Realtors Wednesday at Charlie’s Restaurant in Newton.   Longhofer said a recession historically has occurred when there is too much capital — materials and people included — in a place “where the stuff we want isn’t coming from.”

Wichita Business Journal:  Home sales in Wichita metro drop 37 percent during November - Home sales in Wichita were off 37 percent in November, the largest year-to-year decline of 2008, according to data released this week by the Wichita Area Association of Realtors. In the Wichita metropolitan area, 568 homes were sold during November, down from 907 the previous year. That number also was down from the 829 homes that sold in October.

Wichita Eagle:  Mortgages at less than 4% -  "That's also the view taken by Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate: Interest rates are already low enough to stimulate the Wichita market, he said.  Longhofer, though, thinks a permanent tax credit to homebuyers would do more to stimulate the Wichita market.  'I think a tax credit for purchasing homes to anybody buying them can kick-start the market,' he said."

Wichita Eagle:  Report: Home Prices Hold Steady -  "Locally, we're holding our own," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  "Not in the 'really solid doing great' way like six months ago, but we're holding our own. There are lots of areas in the country that have seen declines, but in the central part of the U.S. like Wichita, the smaller cities are holding their own."

Wichita Eagle:  Arena TIF seen as 'a vote of confidence' -  "'I don't think it has anything to do with the TIF per se, but when the city invests in creating a cohesive district with a distinctive look and feel, that gives private developers some certainty about what they're buying into,' said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  However, Longhofer said he thinks the city-county effort to put together a cohesive downtown entertainment district will be attractive to developers, with or without the TIF."

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita-area housing 'looks pretty good -  "The reason: Housing markets with good economies produce steady but slow price appreciation to top the list, said NAR spokesman Walter Molony and Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate...That's the case in Wichita, Longhofer said. Years of steady home price appreciation have blended with a shift in buyer demographics toward upscale housing."

Wichita Eagle:  Foreclosures rise but experts say rate is low -  "The reason you've seen a rise in those foreclosures lately is because underwriting standards were so easy there for a few years that people even out here have been able to stretch and stretch," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.

WSU Sunflower:  Interest in real estate leads to new organization -  “We want to help in the transition into the real estate market,” Van Sickle said. “Most of our students will go back into the Wichita market so that’s what we want to provide.”  The group is guided by an advisory board consisting of some of the top young real estate professionals in Wichita.  “We are the first university I know of to reach out to the professional community to help our students,” Van Sickle said.

Wichita Eagle:  Real estate rally skips us - "I think it's a stretch to make a claim why," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate. "It goes the other way around: If home sales are rebounding in the Midwest, then it means more sales in lower price ranges and fewer in high price ranges, which cause the median to fall."  Instead, inventories remain relatively small and stable in the Wichita area, and well-priced turnkey homes continue to sell quickly, Longhofer said.

Wichita Eagle:  Home sales down; market steady - Tighter credit for first-time homebuyers and the continuing financial crisis in the national housing market drove the declines, according to a report from Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.

Wichita Eagle:  WaterWalk condos complete - Stan Longhofer, director of the center for real estate at Wichita State University, said he wouldn't be surprised if the credit crisis slowed commercial development at WaterWalk.  "In the current environment, it certainly could make national tenants reluctant to pull the trigger," he said.

Wichita Eagle:  Building permits down in '08 - New upscale housing continues to sell briskly, said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  "There are subdivisions and price ranges still doing well. But overall, we're sitting in Wichita with five months' supply of new homes, about half the national average," he said.

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita home sales plummet 18% - The decline was factored into the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate's 2009 Housing Forecast, released Friday.  In it, director Stan Longhofer forecast a rebound in the housing market in the second quarter of 2009.  But Longhofer reiterated Tuesday that the local housing market's rebound depends on "when buyers and sellers exhale," or when customers become confident enough in the national economy to resume buying and selling homes here.

Wichita Eagle:  Realtors meet in new HQ - Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate, presented an upbeat housing forecast for 2009, with existing-home sales set to rise by 6.5 percent.  Longhofer is forecasting a rebound in the Wichita housing market in 2009, once buyers adapt to tighter lending policies and regain lost confidence in the local housing market.

Wichita Business Journal:  Look for home sales to rebound in 2009, forecast says - In the report, WSU’s Center for Real Estate called the local market a “House of Illusions,” referring to the barrage of negative media stories about national housing trends and how they do “not reflect the reality of Wichita’s market.” Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate, says that perception — and the disappearance of zero-down-payment financing — has kept buyers and sellers out of the local market this year.

Wichita Eagle:  WSU market forecast predicts rise in sales - The area housing market should rebound in 2009 once buyers adapt to tighter mortgage lending policies and regain faith in the housing market, said Stan Longhofer, director of the real estate center.  Tighter credit and the belief that Wichita is part of the national housing downturn dragged sales down in 2008, he said.

Wichita Eagle:  Quality space in short supply - "Often, it's the little things that chase a company away," Longhofer said. "Having space built isn't absolutely crucial. Do you have the land and services available, zoned, platted and permitted? Can we break ground next week?"

Wichita Eagle:  Foreclosure rates spike in Wichita - Delinquencies of conventional prime mortgages, which make up about 75 percent of all mortgages, are up from last year but below years early in the decade.  "I'm not worried about it," said Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University.

Wichita Eagle:  Good news for sellers - Home prices bounce up - Tight inventories in all sectors, except for entry-level homes, are driving prices up, Longhofer said.  "The rest of the market has relatively low inventories, so when you have people coming in the market who don't have as much to choose from, sellers are getting their prices..."

KWCH News:  Wichita home prices buck national trend - "I think that part of it is the fact that we never saw the rapid appreciation," Professor Stan Longhofer says.  "Our prices never got out of line with what would be normal."

Wichita Business Journal:  Home prices climb slowly but steadily - “Wichita area home prices rebounded solidly in the second quarter of this year,” said Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate, in a written statement. “Although there is still some weakness in the lower end of the market, the tight inventories are resulting in price pressure in the middle and upper price ranges.”

Wichita Eagle:  Local new-home market softens - "Clearly, the numbers are down," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate.  "What at first looked like a seasonal bump of remarkably good sales in 2006 when we had a nice winter and spring hasn't rebounded.  "We had a cold winter and lots of rain last year, and the thinking was it would rebound quickly. It hasn't."

Wichita Eagle:  Housing crisis affecting some sectors of local market - "The Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University called together dozens of real estate agents, brokers, lenders and developers to hear the story behind the numbers."

The Detroit News:
Don't Worry; Most Home Prices Won't Collapse
REPRINT OF THE 8/4 ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTON POST
Co-authored by Dr. Longhofer director of the WSU Center for Real Estate
"Turmoil in the housing market has led to fears that home prices will drop precipitously, particularly if foreclosures force large numbers of homes onto the market in the coming year. Recently, these fears have driven financial stocks down and led to the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the projected losses have been wildly exaggerated..."

Wichita Business Journal:  A Guiding Light for Navigating the Real Estate Market - Article on the Center for Real Estate and the resources available at its Website.

Philadelphia Inquirer:
Don't Worry; Most Home Prices Won't Collapse
REPRINT OF THE 8/4 ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTON POST
Co-authored by Dr. Longhofer director of the WSU Center for Real Estate
"Turmoil in the housing market has led to fears that home prices will drop precipitously, particularly if foreclosures force large numbers of homes onto the market in the coming year. Recently, these fears have driven financial stocks down and led to the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the projected losses have been wildly exaggerated..."

Wichita Eagle:  Eberly Park land hits the market - "Longhofer called the 21st Street corridor west toward the hospital a "reasonable place" for long-term commercial growth.  'Take Rock Road both north and south from Towne East,' he said. ' We've seen the same kind of development east along 21st from the Rock Road core.  It's not uncommon.' "

Washington Post:
Housing Collapse Ahead?  Not According to the Data
Co-authored by Dr. Longhofer director of the WSU Center for Real Estate
"Turmoil in the housing market has led to fears that home prices will drop precipitously, particularly if foreclosures force large numbers of homes onto the market in the coming year. Recently, these fears have driven financial stocks down and led to the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the projected losses have been wildly exaggerated. Most Americans have not experienced any significant decline in the value of their homes -- nor are they likely to..."

Wichita Eagle:  Wichita Median Price Up, Days on Market Down - Home sales drop in may:  "'Although sales are down, the unique trend we continue to see here is tight inventories. We're not dealing with a glut of unsold homes,' said Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University, which tracks sales statistics.  'Nice homes well priced will sell pretty quickly.'"

Wichita Eagle:  Fannie, Freddie shares plummet:  "Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University, doubts the federal government would let them fail.  'That seems highly unlikely,' Longhofer said, because 'it would cause a shutdown on the secondary mortgage market.'  Longhofer said many banks rely on Freddie and Fannie to sell their mortgages to the secondary market, which frees up banks' capital for more mortgages."

Wichita Eagle:  Local housing sales soften:  "It appears that buyers and sellers are staying out of the market," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate...

Wichita Eagle:  High-end retail thrives - Secondary retail centers struggle to get tenants:  "A lot of building went on in secondary locations," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State's Center for Real Estate.  "Locations that aren't bad, necessarily, but they're not the prime, premier locations. There are only so many 21st and Rocks, 21st and Maizes in town."

Wichita Eagle:  Deal to create area's largest lender:  "Longhofer thinks that the combined firms will lose some -- but probably not much -- market share eventually.  That could come from consolidation of operations and Countrywide lenders who might not feel like they fit in Bank of America's culture.  'There will be a lot of choices made, and they won't be made hastily,' Longhofer said...Though the deal will create the largest mortgage lender in the area, it will not affect the competitiveness of the market, Longhofer said."

Wichita Eagle:  By luck or design, donation of land for K-96 sparked development: Stan Longhofer, who directs Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate, said the east side would have developed slowly without the highway.  "One of the things people often debate is whether highways cause development or development causes highways," he said.  "The real significant element of this donation is it did help speed up and define the development on the northeast side, absolutely."

Wichita Eagle:  Developer offering high-end lots:  "You have to look and see the other developments you're competing with and get a sense of the absorption rates...There's a lot of manual checking of foot traffic and watching...And then at the end of the day you need to get a sense that...there's a gap in the market..."
- Stan Longhofer, WSU Center for Real Estate

Wichita Eagle:  First-quarter home sales drop:  "What you've seen nationally is an incredible drop-off in demand," said Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate. "Locally, what you've seen is a slowdown in both demand and supply.... We've been seeing it coming slowly. It's been consistent for five months, our numbers being down."

KAKE News:  Wichita Area Home Sales Declining:  Television interview featuring Dr. Longhofer, Director of the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate.

Wichita Eagle:  Area home market still insulated:  "Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate, said he believes sales remained down in March.  'But I'm an economist,' he said. 'I look backward at numbers. The agents out there and their measures aren't based so much on how many homes they've sold in the month, but foot traffic. They have a more forward look into the future.' "

WSU Podcast:  Bailout may or may not be the answer to housing crisis:  "I think the current situation makes it worth considering doing something to help troubled homeowners. But I think you have to be very careful that you don't create new regulations, or you create a bailout plan that's going to create more problems in the future." - Dr Longhofer, Director of the WSU Center for Real Estate

KSN News:  Local housing economy still booming:  "Although the housing market is doing poorly throughout the country, Wichita’s home market is going strong." - Dr Longhofer, Director of the WSU CRE

Wichita Business Journal:  Locals blame media, weather for sales dip in Wichita housing:  "It's hard to turn on the television or open and newspaper without hearing or reading about how bad things are in nation's home market. Dr. Stan Longhofer with Wichita State's Real Estate Department has advice for home buyers or sellers. "Ignore the national news when you're talking about the..."

Wichita Business Journal:  Wichita real estate experts ponder slow December home sales:  " '...Things did tail off at the end of the year,' says Stan Longhofer, director of the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate..."

KWCH News:  Wichita Houseing Market Bucks National Trend:  "It's hard to turn on the television or open and newspaper without hearing or reading about how bad things are in nation's home market. Dr. Stan Longhofer with Wichita State's Real Estate Department has advice for home buyers or sellers. "Ignore the national news when you're talking about the..."

Wichita Business Journal:  Study shows Wichita housing market an 'island of calm':  "...reporting around the country. Everything in Wichita has been stable," says Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate and author of the..."

KSN News:  National home prices down, but Wichita seeing growth:  "A new national study suggests home prices are sliding. The S&P released new figures showing home prices in the US fell 3.2% in the second quarter. That's the steepest decline since 1987. But Wichita is bucking the trend..."

Wichita Business Journal:  Home builders recorded strong 2006:  "...was a really, really good year for new home construction," says Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University. The..."

Wichita Business Journal:  Home builders recorded strong 2006:  "...was a really, really good year for new home construction," says Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University. The..."

Wichita Business Journal:  Home prices up in Sedgwick County, WSU says:  "...of this year, the slowest quarterly appreciation rate in three years. Stan Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate, says the county saw strong..."

KSN News:  Condominium development increases in downtown Wichita:  "I really think there’s room for a lot more residential development and particularly condos and owner-occupied in the core area," said Stan Longhofer, director, Center for Real Estate.

KSN News:  Housing prices in Wichita continue to climb:  "It means that when you buy a house in Wichita you can’t expect to see stellar appreciation rates like you can in other markets but on the other hand it means the houses are a safe purchase here. It’s very unlikely that you would see a sharp drop in prices," said Dr. Stanley Longhofer, Wichita State University Center for Real Estate.

KSN News:  Downtown apartments close to opening:  "It’s certainly within the income capacity of urban professionals," said Dr. Stanley Longhofer, Wichita State University Center for Real Estate.  Longhofer expects developers won’t have any problem selling the new units, especially as Wichita continues to grow.