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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> What would you have expected him [Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke] to 
> say?   Under any  circumstances?

The eyes of the world are upon him. Like Greenspan, Bernanke knows 
that his words can move markets, so he is circumspect. Circumspection 
does not include untruth.

But how would you interpret this:  here abouts we went from the
> having one house in probably eleven having a 'for sale' sign to two 
> in eleven (just from eyeballing from driving by).  That could still 
> qualify as a 'safe landing' I suppose.  BUT every vacant lot and 
> acreage, even places you would't imagine there was land for sale, 
> every one of those has a 'for sale' sign.
> It is amazing to behold.  It seems that within a period of no more than two
> months everyone who's been holding onto a lot is trying to sell it.
>
> I''ve got my own ideas, having to do with the expectation of "investors", but
> what clue would that give you?

That is a common phenomenon. The masses have been inundated with both 
greed hopes and fear about housing for the last four years. The sky 
is the limit or the sky is falling, choose your pundit. Thousands of 
newspaper, magazine and tv pieces have pounded the masses with "price 
appreciation is rising faster than a comet," to "it's a bubble, 
bubble, bubble, and it's going to pop, pop, pop!" The poor folks are 
crazy with wondering what they should do. What most conclude is that 
smart investors are selling in the cold spots and buying in the hot 
spots. Perhaps your area is a cold spot.

Be grateful. Such a condition as you describe would predict a falling 
population.