NAHB - "NAHB Remodelers Offer Tips For Making Your Bathroom Green" (5-21-07)

"Celebrate May is Remodeling Month and green up your bathroom with energy efficient and sustainable products. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers offers this guide of typical appliances and fixtures -- and their lifespans -- so you can make smart choices for that next bathroom project. 'Homeowners can easily transform their bathrooms with these simple energy and water efficient upgrades,' said NAHB Remodelers Chair Mike Nagel, CGR, CAPS, a remodeler from Chicago. 'Whether it’s simply swapping out a shower head or completely gutting the room, it makes a lot of sense to go green when remodeling a bathroom.'"

NAR - "First Quarter Commercial Real Estate Index Rises Again, But Decelerating" (5-21-07)

"The Commercial Leading Indicator for Brokerage Activity,* a forward-looking index for the commercial real estate market, rose slightly in the first quarter to the highest level on record but the rate of growth has decelerated over the past year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Commercial Leading Indicator for Brokerage Activity increased 0.2 percent to an index of 120.3 in the first quarter from a reading of 120.1 in the fourth quarter, and is 0.8 percent higher than the first quarter of 2006 when it stood at 119.3. NAR’s track of the index dates back to 1990."

Reuters - "Housing to weigh more than expected on growth" (5-21-07)

"Troubles in the housing market will weigh on economic growth this year even more than earlier estimated, according to a forecast of economists released on Monday. Real gross domestic product, the government's broadest measure of economic output, is expected to advance 2.3 percent in 2007. That is down from an earlier estimate in February for 2.8 percent growth, a survey conducted by the National Association for Business Economics found."

Market Watch - "Gloom settles over housing market" (5-21-07)

"At the beginning of the year, there was hope that housing had turned the corner. But these expectations seem to have faded away. 'We were seeing signs of recovery last year, but a lot of that reflected warmer than usual weather,' Guatieri said. Economists say housing is bumping down near the bottom. 'We think the housing market will remain weak right through this year. It probably won't be until early next year that we see a stabilization and some recovery,' he added."

MSNBC - "Mortgage-firm layoffs spread across industry" (5-21-07)

"Subprime mortgage lending's deep freeze has sent a chill over the rest of the mortgage industry as layoffs spread to those who lend to the more creditworthy. But even as smaller players shed staff, the industry's largest players such as Wells Fargo and Countrywide Financial are stepping up their hiring as they seek to grab marketshare amid the carnage."

Reuters - "Countrywide chief decries subprime regulation" (5-21-07)

"Countrywide Financial Corp. Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo on Monday said regulation in the subprime mortgage industry will help crooks while hurting lenders and the housing market. 'It's better for the crooks,' Mozilo told Reuters before speaking at a Mortgage Bankers Association conference in Manhattan. 'It's only the good people who have to comply. Regulation, in my opinion, has caused part of the problem. When they attacked the pay option and interest- only loans, that really put a dent in a lot of the product, which is perfectly good product.'"

The Motley Fool - "The Worst Investment Ever" (5-21-07)

"My fellow Fool John Rosevear considers a house to be the best investment ever. I disagree. A house is a place to live, not a road to riches. Think about it for a minute. What characteristics do Fools look for in a great investment? Positive cash flow, low expense ratios, low transaction fees, and historically proven returns. Using these criteria, the average house falls well short of the all-time best."

Forbes - "America's most overpriced home markets" (5-21-07)

"No matter the locale, denizens almost always gripe about the stiff cost of living, housing and doing business. But in some places the financial pain is clearly more acute than others."

San Francisco Chronicle - "Crucial real estate decisions await at the end of the line" (5-21-07)

"Like death itself, end-of-life real estate is a universe of transactions that few of us want to contemplate. Since I began writing this column seven years ago, I've heard all kinds of sad stories of bitter feuds and convoluted laws, but the worst ones always involve that moment when the ephemeral nature of real estate becomes painfully clear: No matter how long we have owned our homes, no matter how much we depended on the house as a security against bad times, no matter how lovingly we remodeled that guest bedroom, one day we die and our homes don't go with us. And what's more, there are often a number of interests vying for control of the place called home."

Orange County Register - "How O.C. homes did since 2005" (5-21-07)

"For the first four months of 2007 compared with same period in 2005, sales for all types of Orange County home sales decreased 37.7 percent. The median sales price decreased 10.9 percent. The median is where half the homes sold for more and half for less. Types of homes selling, as well as home value changes, cause the median to change."