Weekly Roundup: March of rents in May, skyscraper wars, all-cash offers, inventory, continued rate increases, £2 million trailer

Manhattan rents gain substantially over year ago, two reports show, but Brooklyn’s median drops

Another report details continued upward march of rents in Manhattan and Brooklyn

Columbia think tank cites need for small city of new housing to accommodate population growth by 2040

Mayor outlines $20 billion storm protection plan one day after FEMA releases new flood maps

Then Bloomberg proposes major change in building code to enforce additional safeguards

Skyscraper wars dominate new developments

O’, the heartbreak of broken relationships among leaseholding couples

Borrowers rarely can utilize VA loan program in NYC

Outdoor flea, food market begins in Long Island City

He aces sale of of beachfront Malibu home for

Here’s one big reason U.S. homes aren’t moving

I can think of many explanations for the stagnation of the U.S. housing market.

Among those that come to mind are consumer confidence, tight credit, the nation’s and world’s economies, and unemployment.

But a survey released by HomeGain that I recently came across may well rank near the top.  I can’t imagine a more graphic illustration of our housing woes than the disconnect that the third-quarter survey disclosed between what sellers and buyers view as the value of homes.

Although I learned only that more than 500 real estate agents and brokers in addition to 2,500 homeowners responded to the questions, I’ll make the rash assumption that the survey’s methodology was scientific.  If so, consider this startling information: