Real Estate Round-Up: Where have all the buyers gone?

California’s housing market has faltered for the fourth straight month in September. Home sales in San Diego County declined by 10.4 percent in August in a year over year comparison. In Fallbrook, only 38 detached homes closed escrow this September compared to 55 in September 2017. These numbers projected over an annualized number would put total sales in the state at under 400,000 units. So, what is going on?

Active listings, in comparison, have risen for five consecutive months, after 33 months of straight declines, increasing 17.2 percent from 2017. This increase in inventory has led to an...