More houses sat empty in 2010 in North San Diego County than ever before, according to census data, but economists said the supply of houses is still tight and prices will rise if buyers jump into the market, reports the North County Times.
Not so for Southwest Riverside County, where soaring vacancy rates could leave homeowners feeling a hangover for years to come from the 2000s housing boom, bust and foreclosure crisis.
The decade encompassed by the census covered a period of high drama in the housing market in both regions. By 2000, North County had completed the bulk of its construction boom, so buyers exploiting easy loans had to bid up existing stock.
