Building Market Intelligence

As if a horrible housing market isn’t enough of a drag on the economy, businesses are now curtailing their spending as well. In December, a survey of manufacturers indicated that their budgets are being cut, and this week we learned …

Given today’s competitive market conditions, planning and designing for the right buyer profile is more critical than ever. It is important to show model merchandising with hints of the target buyer profile throughout the home through lifestyle photography, room designs …

One of the indices that we find to be the most accurate is PMI’s Risk Index, which measures the likelihood that home prices will be lower two years from now. The index measures the percent likelihood of a price decline …

We are most likely in a very mild recession right now. Unemployment spiked this month, and consumer confidence has fallen to 88.6, which is well below the long-term average of 98.6. The Fed now knows that it should have dropped …

We put a lot of thought into our final e-mail of the year, so we apologize for the length of it. We truly hope our thoughts help you succeed in 2008 and become the foundation around which you plan your …

This month, we focus on the government’s impact on housing. Paulson-Bush Plan – Much Ado About Nothing We can’t find anyone credible who believes the Paulson-Bush plan that was announced on December 6 will significantly help the housing market. According …

There is a real threat that mortgage bankers will become far more conservative in the coming months. For planning purposes, we suggest that your business plan consider a scenario where you can only sell homes to very high-quality borrowers. For …

Point of Clarification – Before we address this week’s topic, we need to address some feedback from our last e-mail. We were not predicting a quick turnaround, but merely pointing out that a healthy economy will help the housing market …

Despite the tough times in housing, the economy continues to grow, and that will make the recovery in housing happen much sooner. The energy sector in particular is thriving, spurred by a falling dollar and skyrocketing commodity prices. Many other …