Official Carleton H. Sheets^® Website

Builders can't seem to get a break. Those who managed to weather the economic storm so far are coming under fire again---according to a recent article in The New York Times. When I first read the article, I couldn't help but agree that the home-building industry "faces a devastating reversal of fortune," and I wasn't surprised that some lenders are foreclosing on newly constructed

Comment (1) Read More...

Just like you, I have been reading reports in the media that housing prices are not at the bottom yet. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but I continue to remain optimistic that the real estate market will turn around---it has always rebounded in the past, and I firmly believe that it will continue to do so in the future.

However, a colleague of mine at the Professional

Comment (1) Read More...

If you're considering purchasing a home or investment property and are trying to time the market to get the best deal ... don't!

Picture this scenario: Even at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you'll find small hills and valleys, but they're still at the bottom of the canyon. Using the same analogy, although home prices may fluctuate a bit up and down, overall, they're still at or very close to

Comment (1) Read More...

I've read countless articles about how the housing bubble evolved ... and why it burst into flames! And although each article has its own spin, all usually agree that a number of factors are to blame for the condition the current housing market is in---de-regulation leading to lax lending practices, Wall-Street greed, and over-speculation by builders and investors, among others.

And now, here

Comment (2) Read More...

I read an article in USA TODAY describing how the demand for smaller apartments and condos is soaring for a number of reasons: the economy, the "eco-friendliness," and the location (many smaller units tend to be urban).

There is a lot to be said for downsizing. And one of the best reasons that I've noticed about having a smaller living space is the lack of clutter---why buy something if you

Comment (0) Read More...

I was taping some new material for my website this week and overheard one of the cameramen talking with one of my staff.

The cameraman said that he and his wife have lived in the same apartment for 17 years. "We liked it, so we just stayed!" he laughed. 

Now I'll freely admit that there are some great benefits to renting ... no grass to cut, no furnace to replace, no snow to shovel, etc. And

Comment (2) Read More...

I read an article today that the U.S. is officially in a recession---and has been since December 2007. What seemed obvious to many for some time has just now been recognized by those who are in charge of documenting it for the history books.

And more breaking news ... it all started with the decline of the housing market!

It seems that this will be one of the longer recessions in the history

Comment (3) Read More...

No matter who you voted for, you have to admit that change is in the air. And now that the election is over, it's time for our government to get down to business! From what I've heard on CNN and read about in the news, I expect that President-elect Barack Obama is already making changes in the cabinet, and plans to get things up and running the minute he enters the Oval Office in January.

I'm

Comment (5) Read More...