Home sales and prices are hitting bottom hard as previously posh neighborhoods with green lawns and filled with plants and flowers are turned into barren moon-like landscapes as house sales dwindle to ever lower levels. The figures for February shows them at 5.03 million units but March has them only at 4.03 % meaning less and less are being sold. These properties include existing single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and co-op’s. Regionally, sales were nice in the Northeast and the West but very bad for the Midwest and South as everybody is touched by the effects of the sub-prime lending market problems that has rocked the world’s financial services.

An online real estate tracking system that monitors all major housing markets releases their foreclosure market report for the first quarter of 2008, with a very sad trend to report. The foreclosure rate has climbed 112% from the first quarter of last year. This is sure sign that there may be credence to the forecasts of economic expert Schiller with him saying that all the signs are there for the situation to go worse and that there is no other way for it to go. Trends such as vacant homes, new houses and mortgage defaults are all going opposite ways and people are set to lose homes at a massive scale. An estimated 2 million homeowners are facing foreclosure and the government’s move to provide tax relief and state measures like the actions of the New Hope programs in New York are all doing good but not good enough and are just taking too long for any significant changes to be felt.

Going against their previously released statement of not issuing any more rate adjustments, the Fed has again reduced rates by half a percent as the economy slips deeper into financial troubles. They might not have had a choice for if they do not enact such measures, the true extent of the sub-prime lending debacle might be too much for even them to handle. As Economic policy analyst Schiller places it, if the government fails to aid the economy, the current low house prices would exceed levels that were seen during the Great Depression of 1930 when America fell into one of the hardest economic situations of all time. The current crisis is getting worse but their actions may mean the difference between a manageable and a downright uncontrollable economic problem

The US president signs into law, a move that would remove taxes for all homeowners who are fighting off foreclosures. The last thing a homeowner who is finding it hard to make mortgage payments is hefty taxes from the government. The move is expected to help the around 2 million homeowners who are facing foreclosures to this date and many are accepting the move with mixed feelings. Many see the events as temporary relief from the heat but what about the burn of the long battle ahead. Taxes are one of the major income earners of the Federal government and with many financial problems that are currently plaguing the Bush administration; they might be going too far in their efforts to help people with their mortgages that could prevent them from learning their lessons in the future. Measures are also in the works for federal and state agencies who would be monitoring the housing market to prevent the events of last year from ever happening again.

Radon is a very well known radioactive gas that occurs naturally in nature in gas form. Out in the open, its all natural but confined within a confined space cush as a house, not good. The gas is estimated to be the most likely cause of 15% of all lung cancers in non- smokers and that it is one of the least priority for most homeowners who don’t seem to be bothered by the fact it’s radioactive. For a responsible homeowner who would be selling a house, you might want to tell your prospective buyer about a problem if indeed you do have it. Better yet, why not have a ventilation system installed that could vent the gas out into the atmosphere where it could do not harm to anyone. That would not only prevent it from influencing the value of your house, but you can also rest easier that your buyer is getting a safe home without that deadly gas.

Many experts agree and even common citizens agree that the country is now in recession, Ouch! But the Federal Government says no, why? Well the answer maybe in the pride of the people on top for even the financial industry experts are saying we are already in a recession. Financial executives expect it to come sooner for the economy is showing so little improvement; the aid given to it may not be enough. These industry leaders are on the forefront of the battle and they don’t see a pretty picture. The government is spending more for both internal and internal affairs as the economy continues to slide. They foresee the coming of a recession yet the president doesn’t say so. yet. Everybody is experiencing the economic crunch and nobody’s happy with it. How was this allowed to happen in the first place? When that question is answered, maybe the next president may have the solution to all the problems, that person would be inheriting and scratching their heads about for some years to come.

The competition has people designing and proposing Green Buildings which is quickly becoming the trend of the future. People are finding ways on how to save within their homes and this may be one way of doing so. The competition has been going strong for a couple of years and more and more people are entering to join the competition. Green buildings are ideally easy on the environment and would address many of today’s environmental issues. Less pollution, less trash, less emissions, less energy and other areas of al\applications which would bring about better and cheaper houses whilst maintaining balance with the natural world. We are the only beings on this earth that have done so much damage to the natural environment that we ourselves have to take the call to fix it. Without it, we may not have an earth to live in. This also entails much savings in local and federal taxes for a green building (if it ever gets off the ground) has been given special rates that have been approved by the Federal Government. So go GREEN!