Ever since I decided to buy a home for myself, I have noticed more and more the increasingly unethical manner in which agents deal with their listings. Withholding offers, artificially inflating prices and then selling to their own buyers (so they can increase their own commission) at LOWER prices! It makes me wonder how this market is ever going to get fixed. In 2006, the problem was predatory lending practices, unscrupulous loan officers and unethical notaries. Today, it seems as if real estate...

This Week; after the strong increase in interest rates last week and the stock market running to new all-time highs on the DJIA (S&P still hasn’t made it), the week is likely to see some minor improvement in rate markets while the stock market rests. At least that is what we expect, but until there is a significant decline in stock markets here and globally interest rates have more propensity to increase than decline much.

Three key data points this week; Feb retail sales,...

1) Rates will continue to remain lowRates should stay below 5% forthe year, and will probably continue to be below 4% for most consumers for most of the year. However, consumers have seen the rate floor continue to drop, so will these rates be looked on as low enough?

2) Demand for housing will continue to surge2012 showed that a lack of inventory may be more of a challenge in some areas than a lack of demand. Many other areas that were most devastated by the real estate meltdown...

This morning we read;
The day started with stock indexes better and interest rates unchanged from yesterday’s selling. All global stock markets are better today with the belief that the US will avoid going over the Cliff in 12 days. Negations are still rather fragile, at least based on the rhetoric coming from both sides; nevertheless based on how markets are reacting here and around
the world there will be a deal before the end of the year. At 9:00 the 10 yr note traded unchanged...

MONDAY, December 3rd
Construction spending rose sharply in October, gaining 1.4% led by a nice 3.0% gain in the residential sector. Non-residential construction rose 0.3% as public construction expenditures increased 0.8%. Total construction spending is now 9.6% above its year ago level. In the private sector, both the residential and nonresidential components continue to climb irregularly higher while public sector spending is trending lower. Gains in the private sector are expected to...