Gains for northern homeowners in 2003 - 2004-01-06
House prices jumped by 33.7% in the north of England during 2003, more than double the national average increase of 15.4%, according to the Halifax house price index, published today.

The number of first-time buyers entering the market is currently at the lowest level seen since 1974. According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), only 330,540 homebuyers got a foot on the property ladder for the first time in the first 11 months of 2003.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited

Construction activity breaks another record - 2004-01-06
Construction reached yet another summit in November, carried to record activity for the fifth consecutive month by the rush of the late summer's wave of home buying.

That surge included strength in public and private construction but was mostly swept along by a virtual tsunami in real estate: Residential construction soared 14.1 percent during the month in the wake of four-decade lows in mortgage rates.
Read the full story at Atlanta Journal And Constitution