Winter hasn't hindered metro home building - 2004-03-02
Although colder weather and fewer buyers usually make for a seasonal slowdown in home building activity during winter months, the Albuquerque metro region experienced a small month-to-month rise, by 3 percent, in its monthly building permit activity during the month of January 2004.

Residential brokers continue to give credit to low mortgage interest rates, in the 5 to 6 percent range, for keeping home building strong in the region and home builders busy.
Read the full story at New Mexico Business Weekly

Low mortgage rates keep plywood prices high - 2004-03-02
Well Howard, there’s a bit of truth to the Iraqi theory. But those in the know at Random Lengths, the highly- respected wood products journal in Eugene, say that there are other major reasons.

Random Lengths say Iraq was a contributing factor during the summer of 2003 when prices for plywood and oriented strand board skyrocketed, but the record prices were spurred by the record surge of 1.498 million housing starts brought on by low mortgage rates.
Read the full story at Medford Mail Tribune