Jon Lansner

Business Columnist for O.C. Register/Southern California News Group.

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

Thank you, dear reader, for being an important part of my 40 years covering the thrill ride that’s California’s economy. @ocregister #trustyspreadsheet

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@NewsLambert @ResiClub_HQ Home prices trail inflation, FHFA index vs. CPI.

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@jayparsons Apparently Costar thinks LA is doing some serious building. Is this a “narrative” buster?

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@jayparsons Here’s demand’s backdrop, and it’s weak overall: fewer news households and jobs. Fortunately for landlords, ownership is totally unaffordable.

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@jayparsons Somehow there’s capital to build in the LA-Orange county metro! Permits so far in 2026 are the second-fastest start to a year since 1990. See: https://t.co/z4RX2rxJsI

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@pmcondon2 Amen!

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@mikesimonsen I often get “inspiration” from my social media pals! Start with San Francisco vs. Austin!

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@NewsLambert Most metros aren’t the “city” we use as short-hand name for the region. Quick look at MSAs with many counties:
•New York: 23.
•Atlanta: 29.
•Chicago: 19.
•Washington: DC, 16 counties, 6 cities
•Dallas: 11
•Houston: 10
•Philadelphia: 11
•San Francisco: 5

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

I’ve started a weekly column for the Southern California News Group covering the rental world from the tenant’s perspective. Got ideas? Shout! Here’s the first few: https://t.co/3sKGOz0CpS

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@NewsLambert @ResiClub_HQ Can we NOW call it a sales CRASH??!??

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@ModeledBehavior In the early 1980s, lots of daytime drinking in downtown Pittsburgh!

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@mikesimonsen I should have said … smallest one-year gain in 13 years! This is a slooooooow moving yardstick because they have refi appraisals included and, well, appraisers tend not to be trend-breakers!

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@mikesimonsen FHFA index has US prices with smallest one-year gain at mid-year 2026. https://t.co/nKLeYcB2Ox

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@NewsLambert FHFA had US price gains at 13-year low as of June. https://t.co/nKLeYcBAE5

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@mikesimonsen @dfwaaronlayman The municipal infrastructure to support new housing – from sewer to roads to schools to police – has to get paid some way. California chooses to have new property owners pay fees for that. In Texas and other states, property taxes on ALL owners pay those same costs.

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@AndrewKnollNHL So sorry for your loss. May the great memories be a blessing.

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@NewsLambert The odds of a crash are growing. Buying a home in most markets makes little financial sense.

[O.C. Register @ocregister]

California layoffs drop as job growth outperforms US https://t.co/5vIupBZVyu

[Jon Lansner @jonlan]

@mikesimonsen Adjusted sales is not demand. Try household formation and/or job growth, then account for market share swings — existing vs. new vs. rentals. Then how do you account for investors, not to mention whether sellers become buyers, too.