11/7/2009

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Homes Still Cost Too Much Even at the height of the boom, Harvard researchers at their Joint Center for Housing Studies found that almost 18 million households were paying more than half of their incomes for housing (about one- third is considered reasonable). Millions sought the refuge of cheap credit, subprime and adjustable loans during the boom because they were the easiest routes to homeownership in a time when house prices far outpaced income growth. The sad fact is that the Great American Dream is still out of reach for far too many and it was the declining affordability of decent houses that was one of the triggers of the housing bust. It's not that home prices haven't plummeted as banks unload foreclosed homes at fire-sale prices. Bank-owned properties are selling at 20-percent to 50 percent discounts. Homes cost too much even before the bubble, so home buyers were willing to do anything to get into the domicile of their dreams. After all, homeownership is an American birthright, or at least that promise was sold to Americans starting in 1946. "Buy as much house as you can afford!" That's what the bankers and real estate agents were telling us for generations because of generous tax breaks and easy...........   Green Jobs A broad base of new jobs are being created across the country because of the tremendous rise in the use of eco-friendly products. The term "going green" has become synonymous with recycling and providing alternative energy sources that can curb our dependence on fossil fuels. Many economists believe that solar, wind, hydro-electric, geothermal, and other eco-friendly sources will be the key to job growth for years into the future. A change in the way we think about energy and job growth was bound to happen sooner or later because of the extraordinary amounts of energy that is needed to heat and cool our homes and offices and to power our cars, trucks, buses, and other modes of transportation. The cost of energy has skyrocketed over the years. Most economists, politicians, and ordinary people understand the need to break our dependence on fossil fuels and other oil based commodities by............. Think Smart... Money saving tip of the week... Lifestyles... Books make excellent gifts... Travel Photos... Definition of the week...What is Alternative Minimum Tax?   How Successful People Think Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life John C. Maxwell Gather successful people from all walks of life-what would they have in common? The way they think! Now you can think as they do and revolutionize your work and life! A Wall Street Journal bestseller, HOW SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE THINK is the perfect, compact read for today's fast-paced world. America's leadership expert John C. Maxwell will teach you how to be more creative and when to question popular thinking. You'll learn how to capture the big picture while focusing your thinking. You'll find out how to tap into your creative potential, develop shared ideas, and derive lessons from the past to better understand the future.