Oil Bust Will Hurt Housing in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana

The oil boom that lifted home prices in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana is coming to an end.

Crude oil prices have crashed since June, falling by more than 54 percent to less than $50 a barrel. That swift drop has started to cripple job growth in oil country, creating a slow wave that in the years ahead may devastate what has been a thriving real estate market, according to new analysis by the real estate firm Trulia.

"Oil prices won't tank home prices immediately," Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko explained. "Rather, falling oil prices in the second half of 2014 might not have their biggest impact on home prices until late 2015 or in 2016."

History shows it takes time for home prices in oil country to change course.

Kolko looked at the 100 largest housing markets where the oil industry accounted for at least 2 percent of all jobs. Asking prices in those cities rose 10.5 percent over the past year, compared with an average of 7.7 percent around the country.

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