As the 2005 tax season wraps up, keep in mind next year's new tax credit for new homes qualifying as energy efficient. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), signed by President Bush in August 2005, outlines new Federal tax credits for consumers and

This month, we feature two markets that have strong job growth and excellent affordability: Austin and Salt Lake. Both markets are experiencing job growth in almost every sector of the economy (see chart included) and both markets have experienced very l

Builders can obtain demographics and other economic data from various government and private sources. However, some builders have their own ideas for getting a better read of their marketplace. In addition to tracking real estate deals to uncover emergin

Experts consider housing affordability a primary driver of housing demand. If a buyer's income rises and mortgage rates and/or house prices decline, chances are homes are going to sell like hotcakes...right? Maybe not. The National Association of Rea

Some negative news including predictions of a sustained decline in the housing market in 2006 slowed the markets in December. The anticipated so-called Santa Claus rally never materialized, but other factors such as soaring consumer confidence numbers fo

Whoever said a rising tide lifts all boats didn't know boats. All boats, like all building companies, fare very differently in the same conditions. No two voyages are exactly the same. Even with the best captain and an experienced crew, navigating ro

A Halloween rally wasn't enough to bring the major indices into positive terrain for the session ending October 31, 2005. Consumer spending rose 0.5 percent after a drop in the previous month. The Commerce Department also reported a 3.8 percent gain

Every consumer press story at the moment seems to be about a slowdown in the housing industry (and don't you want them to shut up with their self-fulfilling prophecies?), the last thing we want to hear out of Washington is that a presidential panel o

Giant Market: San Diego After unprecedented levels of price appreciation, the San Diego market has returned to normal market conditions. Three factors have contributed to the softening of the market: While some overpriced situations exist, market demand