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The Bush administration’s fiscal 2009 budget, released Monday, has a common theme: Housing woes. The budget frequently mentions the current slump and makes it clear that housing will continue to affect economic growth next year. That’s no shock to any members of the residential building, development, sales or financing industries–or anyone who reads the newspaper on a regular basis–but as we search for signs that the housing gloom and doom is coming to an end, it’s worth noting yet another governmental body doesn’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Last month, we saw the Fed finally acknowledge the housing…

The Bush administration’s 2009 budget, released Monday, has a common theme: Housing woes. The budget frequently mentions the current slump and makes it clear that housing will continue to affect economic growth next year. That’s no shock to any members of the residential building, development, sales or financing industries–or anyone who reads the newspaper on a regular basis–but as we search for signs that the housing gloom and doom is coming to an end, it’s worth noting yet another governmental body doesn’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Last month, we saw the Fed finally acknowledge the housing decline’s…

The design industry and many city governments have made serious efforts in the past few years to encourage sustainable building–but the average homeowner may still find going green is anything but easy. Even homeowners with the most carefully constructed plans are hitting sustainability snags, according to a recent Chicago Tribune article that ran last week. The article began by outlining the troubles Plainfield, Ill. homeowners Nora and Richard Parkman encountered when trying to add a solar energy system to their home. The Caton Ridge Homeowners Association shot down the Parkman’s proposal because they didn’t like the way the solar panels…

Homeowners aren’t the only victims of the high U.S. foreclosure rate–their pets are also finding themselves homeless at an alarming rate. After Hurricane Katrina, news of animals left behind–or rendered homeless by the storm–were everywhere; but stories about cats, dogs and other pets stranded when their owners flee suddenly from their about-to-be foreclosed homes are just now making their way to the media (via newswires and blogs like this one.) Dogs are starving; cats find themselves unable to blend with feral felines who recognize the domesticated animals as being different. Unfortunately, although a recent Associated Press article said no concrete…

News today from the Commerce Department that consumer spending barely increased last month–and, if you consider inflation, didn’t at all–along with a higher amount of unemployment claims doesn’t indicate our economy is doing all that well. And yet, some signs exist that the worst of the current growth problems may be over: Wall Street Feels Good. CNNMoney.com reported this week that real estate developer- and operation-related stocks have risen from recent low points. (They also rose in the past two days based on the anticipation and announcement of the most recent Fed rate cut.) The Stimulus Plan Offers Hope to…

While the second Fed rate cut in a month–announced Wednesday afternoon–wasn’t a huge surprise to the financial community, the thought process behind it was: The Fed’s scared, and that doesn’t offer much comfort to those worried about an impending recession. The new cut brought the benchmark Federal funds rate down by half a point to 3 percent and followed an emergency reduction eight days ago, which lowered the benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point. Wall Street had widely expected the reduction–stocks ended the day Tuesday "sharply higher" because of anticipation that the Fed would offer an interest-rate…

Baby boomers are embracing fractional ownership of vacation properties; but this isn’t your mother’s timeshare (even if it is). Instead of buying a place they’ll only use a few weeks a year, an increasing number of homeowners are opting to buy into a destination or resort club, vacation condo or other partial ownership property. And it’s created a unique second-home market. According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, there are two basic kinds of vacation ownership: timeshares and vacation interval plans. Both require an initial purchase payment and ongoing maintenance fees. In a timeshare–a unit which you own for the…

After days of debate, House leaders and the Bush administration announced a pending economic stimulus plan Thursday–but it may not be what the residential industry was hoping for. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. were two of the parties who announced the plan at a Washington, D.C. news conference today; briefly, some of the high points are: The $150 billion package, said to be aimed at the middle class, allows for stipends of $300 to $1,200 per family and provides tax incentives for businesses to encourage spending. About two-thirds of the total package would go toward…