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Abstract
This is the seventh in a series of annual reports about housing in the Washington metropolitan region. It assembles and analyzes the most current data on housing conditions in the District of Columbia and the surrounding suburbs. This year's report focuses on the impact of the foreclosure crisis on the region, examining the level and trends of foreclosures, outlining potential secondary effects for families and neighborhoods, and looking towards the future of the region's housing market. It concludes with policy implications in four areas: foreclosure prevention, neighborhood stabilization, recovery assistance for displaced households, and services for children in foreclosed homes.
Introduction
This is the seventh in a series of annual reports about housing in the Washington metropolitan region.
It assembles and analyzes the most current data on housing conditions and trends in the District of
Columbia and the surrounding suburbs. Previous editions have explored a range of topics including
housing and services for people with special needs, the links between housing and schools, and the
changes in concentrated poverty in the region.
This year’s report focuses on the foreclosure crisis
and its effects on both the housing market and
the residents of the city and suburban neighborhoods
in our region. After years of strong economic
and housing market growth in the region, in the past
year the number of delinquencies and foreclosures
rose quickly, housing prices fell, and the economy
slowed. While some areas are relatively unaffected,
other neighborhoods have been hit hard, and many
households are facing disruptive moves and a tough
rental market.
- Chapter 1 explores how the metropolitan area
is faring economically during the national recession,
how demographic patterns have shifted,
and what the region’s prospects are for the future.
- Chapter 2 reviews the latest housing market
conditions for the region as a whole and how the
city and suburban communities have fared comparatively,
reviewing home sales volume and sale
prices, the rental housing market, and homelessness
in the region.
- Chapter 3 focuses on the direct impact of the
foreclosure crisis on the region, including information
on delinquency and foreclosure rates, and
profiles of minority communities in Prince George’s
County, Maryland, and Prince William County,
Virginia, that have been hard hit by the crisis.
- Chapter 4 turns to the ripple effects of the foreclosure
crisis. It examines the many vulnerable households, such as renters, families with children,
and the elderly, affected by the crisis, and
assesses how concentrated foreclosures compound
the impact of the crisis on neighborhoods.
- Chapter 5 highlights strategic opportunities for
the Washington, D.C. region to respond to the
crisis by using regional resources and partnerships
to prevent further foreclosures, stabilize
neighborhoods, and help households recover.
In the last three chapters, we present several vignettes
based on stories from legal aid organizations
and housing counseling agencies that illustrate the
challenges facing households in foreclosure and the
difficulty in finding solutions to save their homes.
In addition to the information and analysis presented
in this volume, a condensed version of the foreclosure
analysis in this report, Foreclosures in the Nation’s
Capital, along with detailed data tabulations and a
technical appendix are available on the Urban Institute
web site, http://www.urban.org/center/met/hnc/.
The annual Housing in the Nation’s Capital report is now
further supplemented by the District of Columbia Housing
Monitor, which provides more frequent updates on
housing market conditions in the District of Columbia
and its wards. Each issue of the Monitor (accessible
at http://www.neighborhoodinfodc.org/housing/)
provides both standardized market indicators and
a special focus section highlighting data on a selected
topic.
Finally, a note of explanation about geographic
boundaries and definitions: The Washington metropolitan
region spans three states and the District of
Columbia. For the analysis presented here, we have
adopted the federal government’s 2008 definition of
the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) and have defined five major subareas within
it (Figure I.1).
Technical Appendix
Appendix Tables
Appendix Table Guide
Appendix A: Population and Household Characteristics
Appendix B: Economic Conditions
Appendix C: Housing Stock and Vacancy
Appendix D: Rental and Subsidized Housing
Appendix E: Homeownership and Home Sales
Appendix F: Foreclosure Outcomes and Trends for the District of Columbia
Appendix G: Technical Issues
(End of excerpt. The full report with references is available in PDF format.)
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