House prices still increasing - 2004-01-01
Britain's housing market finished the year on a high note with the price of the average house rising by 1.5% in December, one of the UK's largest mortgage lenders reported yesterday.

Despite a sharp fall in the number of first-time buyers, house prices rose by 15.6% last year, adding £18,000 to the price of the average property, the Nationwide said.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited

Home loans quiet along with sales - 2004-01-01
New applications for U.S. mortgages dropped last week to their lowest weekly level in 2003, as home sales at year's end have cooled from their early sizzling pace, a U.S. mortgage industry group said yesterday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its widely watched mortgage market index, a measure of mortgage loan demand, for the week ended Dec. 26 declined 9 percent to 574.1 from the prior week's 631.2.
Read the full story at SignOn San Diego