Prophets of doom can't stop house prices - 2004-01-29
The Great House Price Crash of 2002, 2003 and (so far) 2004 has been forecasted by experts so many times that most of us now feel happy to ignore their doom-laden scenarios.

So far it has just failed to happen. Indeed, data from the mortgage lenders and from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors suggests that prices are just carrying on rising.
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Sales of new homes lower by 5 percent - 2004-01-29
Orders for big-ticket goods were flat in December after dropping in November, highlighting the struggles America's manufacturers are facing as they try to get on firm footing. The pace of new-home sales also slowed last month.

For all of 2003, however, home sales totaled a record high of 1.09 million as low mortgage rates beckoned buyers. That represented an 11.5 percent jump from 2002, the previous best year for sales.
Read the full story at newsobserver.com