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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Residential construction spending continued to rise in August,
http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/eye-on-the-economy-spotlighting-threats-to-a-sustained-housing-recovery/
Eye on the Economy: Spotlighting Threats to a Sustained Housing Recovery
*Eye on the Economy is an NAHB newsletter that is published every two weeks and takes a larger view of recent economic and housing policy news.
Residential construction spending continued to rise in August, supporting jobs and economic activity as housing continued to improve. Private residential construction spending increased 0.9% on a month-to-month basis and has now risen nearly 18% since August 2011.
Spending on new single-family homes jumped 2.8% and has registered gains in 14 of the last 15 months. Compared to the low that was observed in the second quarter of 2009, single-family spending activity has rebounded approximately 44%.
Multifamily construction has staged the strongest rebound over the past year, and that trend continued into August as spending climbed 3.7%. After bottoming out two years ago, spending on new multifamily housing has surged more than 76%.
While housing is adding to economic growth, home sale indicators slowed their improving trends in the past month. The National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, decreased 2.6% in August, suggesting that while existing home sales will rise in future months, they will do so at a slower rate. An impending 2013 expiration of a tax exclusion for cancelled debt associated with short sales may have accelerated some existing home sales earlier into 2012, which may hold down existing homes sales in future months.
New home sales disappointed somewhat in August, with an annualized rate (373,000) approximately flat from a revised July level. The inventory of unsold new homes once again established a historic low at 141,000 and the number of completed new homes within that group also dropped to a new all-time low of 38,000. In a normal market where potential home buyers have a wider selection of alternatives, there would be 100,000 completed homes ready for immediate occupancy.
New home price data indicate that credit accessibility may be affecting the market, with the median new home price rising 17% from August 2011. The increase is more likely a result of the kind of home sold than any significant change in underlying home prices. In fact, 21% of the homes sold in August cost more than $400,000, compared to 14% of homes sold in 2011. It may be that typical buyer of homes in this price range face less restrictive credit conditions.
Despite monthly ups and downs and geographic variation, the housing recovery is solid. For example, the latest housing price data report significant gains for 2012. The Case-Shiller 10 and 20 city composite indexes posted 1.5% and 1.6% gains respectively in July over June, bringing the year to date increases to 6.3% and 6.9% on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported a less robust 0.2% increase nationally from June to July and a seasonally adjusted 4.1% increase so far this year.
Housing growth is constrained by the health of the job market, which remains lackluster. However, a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests a significant revision for April 2011 through March 2012 may indicate that job creation was stronger than first estimated. According to the BLS preliminary benchmark adjustment, total net job creation was higher by 386,000 positions over that time period. While seemingly large, this represents an increase of only 0.3% of total employment. In percentage terms, the second-largest adjustment was associated with the estimate of construction employment, which was revised up by 85,000 positions or 1.6% of sector employment. The final benchmark adjustment will be published in February 2013.
Highlighting the importance of strong local job markets for housing, recent NAHB analysis showed that the primary driver behind delinquent mortgages is unemployment. Home owners who have a loss of income and are unable to make their mortgage payments usually have the option of selling their home and moving to a less expensive alternative. However, as house prices have fallen, that ability is truncated and a foreclosure, short sale or other bank-assisted disposition is the likely resolution.
As house prices continue to increase, more home owners who cannot meet mortgage payments can sell their homes rather than default. And, as unemployment falls, fewer households will be unable to pay the mortgage. While an improvement in house prices or employment will reduce the rate, the unemployment effect appears to be the dominant one.
Nonetheless, rising housing prices have helped household balance sheet repair, which on net stalled during the second quarter due to stock market declines. The S&P 500 was down 2.75% for the quarter. The retreat on household net worth caused the savings rate to increase, which reduced consumer spending.
The balance sheet data from the Federal Reserve indicate that total mortgage debt is down $1 trillion from the peak. This statistic offers good news and bad news for housing. On the positive side, it suggests that household deleveraging continues. But it may also reflect that prospective home buyers in some cases are unable to access credit, thereby holding back housing demand.
The lack of mortgage credit access may be boosting demand for rental properties. For example, the share of single-family homes built for rent remains elevated. The market share of single-family homes built for rental purposes, as measured on a one-year moving average, stands at 4.3% for the 2nd quarter of 2012. This is lower than the recent peak of 5.35% set at the beginning of 2011 but considerably higher than the 20-year average of 2.69%.
On tax issues, property tax data for the second quarter indicate that total state and local property tax collections have remained about constant for three years, despite many analysts calling for significant declines due to historic drops in housing prices. Given that tax payments have remained about constant in a period of falling home values, the result has been a significant increase in the effective property tax rate on owner-occupied homes.
Higher taxes on home owners will certainly hold back housing demand. And one possible source of future tax hikes on housing could come in tax reform. Recent NAHB analysis demonstrated how under a common comprehensive tax reform approach, home owners could face lower marginal tax rates, but higher tax bills. This effect is strongly driven by what happens to the mortgage interest deduction (MID), increasingly a topic of debate during election season. The fate of the MID and resolution of the fiscal cliff will shape the future of housing in 2013.
In short, housing construction is contributing to economic growth. But there are numerous factors that could limit the expansion in home building. Lack of credit for home buyers and builders, reduced inventory, weak job growth and policy uncertainty continue to be headline threats for housing.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Dewalt Framing Hammer
Mig weld hammers have 14 to 15 oz. weight for fast swing and reduced fatigue. The all steel design provides durability and long life. They have a magnetic nail starter for easy 1 handed nail placement. Vibration absorbing grip reduces vibration for improved user comfort. Primary users: Framers, general contractors, roofers, and remodelers.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Qigong is an integrated mind-body healing method that has been practiced with remarkable results in China for thousands of years. The Chinese have long treasured qigong for its effectiveness both in healing and in preventing disease, and more recently they have used it in conjunction with modern medicine to cure cancer, immune system disorders, and other life-threatening conditions. Now in this fascinating, comprehensive volume, renowned qigong master and China scholar Kenneth S. Cohen explains how you too can integrate qigong into your life--and harness the healing power that will help your mind and body achieve the harmony of true health.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Woodworking Business - What To Build To Make Profits
Woodworking is a great art and hobby that you can quickly turn into business. You need to know that different woodwork projects will have different markets. For instance, if you are making toys, then your target market should be the parents who have young children. You would be greatly misplaced if you make the toys in an area where the larger population that exists is the middle aged and the old aged people. You would also not make much money by making garden benches in an area where people hardly have gardens in their compound. With this in mind, it is very important that you find the right projects to build that will see you make good money. Here are some of the great projects that you can get to do so as to earn a good amount of profit.
1. Toys
Toys are simple projects that will not demand that you have a lot of resources. With the simple hand tools you will comfortably be able to make good toys. The other good news is that you can begin the project right from your garage to save on the cost that you would incur on rent. Know that the toy projects would not take much of your space and thus you will be able to comfortably work from a small area. You can never go wrong with the toy projects especially if you are in the urban area or when your target population is in the urban area for you will always find young families and children.
2. Furniture
Just take a brief survey of most homes that you get to. Did you notice that they have most of their furniture made of wood? Right from the coffee table all the way to the seats, you will realize that many people love wood to be used on their furniture. The reasons for the wide preference for wood are many, but one that stands out is that it is an inexpensive doing. With this in mind, as a woodworker, you need to research and find the particular furniture projects that people would not do without and engage in the building of the same.
3. Fence
Many people have their fences in wood. It makes the home get the more natural look and it is easy to set up. You will always find people who want their fence to be repaired while others will need new fence. Because the fence acts as a form of security, you will obviously get order to put up the same.
6 Bites of "This" Can Drop Your Cholesterol
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Rob's blood tests revealed he had dangerously high levels of cholesterol. Plus, deadly plaque may have been slowly building up in his arteries for the last 20 years. Yep, that's right. 20 years. The same thing may be happening to me and you right now. That's why it's called "The Silent Killer."
When Rob got his results, he took action. He did not want to go on daily drugs and he did not want surgery of any kind. He wanted a safe, natural solution. Exactly like the solutions you've come to rely on and expect from us. After years of research, Rob is about to share with you and your family this important discovery that big pharma hates:
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PLEASE READ - BEFORE YOU DRINK ANOTHER DIET SODA
I have known about Diet Sodas and the Problems for a while
- THE FOLLOWING IS THE MAIN PART OF AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND -
PLEASE READ - BEFORE YOU DRINK ANOTHER DIET SODA -
Please read - could save your health or that of someone dear to you and pass on.
Do not let your children have any products with this ingredient in it as well.
SWEET POISON - A MUST READ !
In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.
By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she was dying.
She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.
She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.
On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.
I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda. She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.
I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I emailed her an article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but, she sure felt a lot better.
She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.
Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda...and literally dying a slow and miserable death.
When she got to Florida March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.
If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as 'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to
determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.
I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.
Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!
Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.
In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss re- turned and hearing loss improved markedly.
This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, Cramps, Vertigo, Dizziness, Headaches, Tinnitus, Joint pain , Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning! ' People were jumping up during the lecture saying, 'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?'
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!
Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.
It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!
These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'
Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!
Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the 'diet products ' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.
Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage.
Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.
So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed.Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!
Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'
It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.
Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners.
There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.'
Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done.
The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.
Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'
I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.
And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians?
This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.
Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants.
The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioural symptoms.
The bill was killed.
It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!
Monday, March 26, 2012
BUSINESS PLANNER PRO
I HAVE USED THIS SOFTWARE FOR YEARS AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR DOING YOUR BUSINESS PLANNING
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Sunday, March 11, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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