American consumers carry 70 percent of the gross domestic product on their backs. Succumbing to the constant pressure to buy goods, we’ve increased our use of credit and abandoned our savings at a steady rate since the 1970s. Since 2005, Americans have had a negative savings rate, which means the average family spends more than [...]

read full story of "Realty Viewpoint: Let’s Offer Bailouts to Mortgage Payers"

Falling home prices and rising inventories are putting home buyers in the best position they’ve had this decade.
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read full story of "Good Time To Buy, But Money’s Tight"

Recently, an internet search-engine executive, newly transplanted to Canada, described this country as the “webiest in the world” based on many measurements of online usage. Canadians reportedly stand number one, with an average usage of 41 hours online each month compared to an average of 30 hours a month for US users.
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read full story of "Virtual Real Estate: Room for Improvement?"

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity — sometimes painful — of seeing many different agents’ marketing campaigns. I’ve seen photocopies of letters that looked like they were typewritten during the Lincoln administration. I’ve seen garish photographs of agents that would scare away Canadian geese. I’ve seen postcards printed with such bad ink that a [...]

read full story of "Spectacular Marketing Campaign"

While the U.S. housing market suffers, a residential building explosion is continuing on the other side of the world. In fact, it is estimated that China’s building boom accounts for more than 100 billion square feet per year.
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read full story of "New Homes: Chinese Housing Market May Produce Revenue for Sagging U.S. Building Industry"