Very local. A lot of Western states have risen. NYC (area, not the central city) is actually down since last year, with a pile of foreclosures hitting the market right about now. Hope to be able to play in this cesspool soon, since once the foreclosures are sold out, the area will probably go the way of CA.
No touchy-feely homeowners’ bill of rights in NJ, thought, just a hardass Republican governor who’s letting the market take its course. Yeah, re taxes are high, but not in all towns. The ones I’m interested in tend to be about 1-2% of value per annum owing to a strong manufacturing and business base.