Housing construction and sales have always followed job growth. Looking around and seeing the number of layoffs from companies like Pfizer, Texas Instruments, GM, Boeing, Motorola, Sprint, Microsoft and Webcor one would think that times are grim. I personally think that when companies start to let go of employees, these were a lagging indicator of the current climate. Even amidst my mild optimism, I realize that many will not feel the same way. Take today’s news stating that more Americans than forecasted filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, indicating firing persists even as the economy rebounds and employment is picking up. My only argument is that many Americans are forced to work for less than what they were making and while they do have jobs ~ getting by is not living.
Cities like Las Vegas, Riverside. Calif., and Phoenix have seen median home prices fall 50%, 44% and 37% from their respective peaks. If you were to take a look at the jobs that are being posted on Craigslist, jobs are ~ dare I say it truly vanishing and companies are paying less for those once coveted services.