U.S. Home-Loan Requests Soar; 30-Year Mortgage Rates Drop to 5.34 Percent - 2004-03-11
The interest rate on the benchmark 30-year mortgage dropped to 5.34 percent last week, helping push home-loan applications to their highest level in 35 weeks, an industry tracker said Wednesday.

The rate was 5.49 percent one week earlier and 5.42 percent for the year-ago period, said the Washington, D.C.-based Mortgage Bankers Association.
Read the full story at Miami Herald

First home buyers feel fresh pain - 2004-03-11
Housing affordability has dropped close to a 20-year low, with a combination of rising interest rates and the property boom forcing first home buyers to take on ever-increasing mortgage commitments, the latest figures show.

The Commonwealth Bank and Housing Industry Association reported yesterday that Australia's median house price soared to a record $337,500 in the December quarter of last year.
Read the full story at Melbourne Age