Something strange is happening in housing

My wife and I recently looked at homes around Washington D.C. We were shocked. Prices in many D.C. suburbs are 30% to 50% higher than they were five years ago. We visited Seattle over Christmas and found the same: Prices are up anywhere from 30% to 70% since 2009. D.C. and Seattle are big, wealthy, cities. But almost everywhere around the country, homes prices are surging. Nationwide average home prices are up 30% since bottoming in 2012. They're now just 4.5% off their 2006 bubble highs, accord...