There was quite a bit of news today indeed. Jobs and the overall security of that market will impact the real estate market. There are many factors to determine exactly where we are and where we will be... I don't even think the government knows quite where things are going. A war in Iran or other spikes in the Middle East could cause an instant relapse of anything positive that has begun. The presidential campaign which seems to be more like a feature on Entertainment Tonight than CNN anymore when we need serious issues addressed and discussed. We'll see how that shapes up in the coming months and a lot will depend on which side gets in. The whopping $1,200 rebate announced today must surely wipe out the foreclosure problem and lack of health care in the country. That was a great used band-aid move. We're sitting ducks and everyone has an opinion. There are 50 topics that could be debated and talked about and still wouldn't produce a solid answer on the real estate market's future. Good agents can work right through these times and still survive and even do well as others drop out. Pehaps it's a blessing for the industry in a sense to weed out the part-timers and ones that don't have a solid business plan implemented to handle these situations. Rates are not guaranteed right now. We can't promise anything to a potential buyer because if we start looking today and find something by next month, the rate could change and we're back to square one. It's day by day. Ultimately, there will always be a need for housing as with food. We mold with the times and continue on regardless. Whether it's catering to the investor while rental properties and the need for increase, or it's downsizing. There will always be buyers and sellers. Perhaps there are just too many Realtors, builders and brokers which are adding to the problem. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We need to try somehow to weed out the desperation.