At today’s office meeting, my manager passed out copies of today’s Washington Post article about a reported glut of condos in the D.C. area. It cites two studies talking about over-building around the country and the DC metropolitan area.

One study done by an Alexandria market research firm, Delta Associates, predicts a high likelihood of a “soft landing” (their words, not the Post’s) for our area. Now, I’ve written about my problems with the “bubble” metaphor. I think it’s time to add “soft landing” to the bad metaphor list.

And I understand I’m in very good company.  An economist friend of mine told me that Jim Smith, the National Association of Realtor’s economic guru, has questioned this very expression himself.  To paraphrase Mr. Smith, when you’re on the Airsick Special that bumps through the skies to your destination, then it plops down on the runway with a teeth-rattling thud, it’s not a soft landing, but it is a good landing as long as you and the aircraft get to the arrival gate in one piece.

While I, too, wonder if we’ll be able to absorb the new units, I have my own little concern about the building glut.  These buildings are going up awfully quickly.  The next question may be, “Will your new unit outlast your 30-year mortgage?  Hmmm.