Australian Home Loans in January Probably Dropped 4%: BN Survey - 2004-03-09
Australian home-loan approvals probably dropped for a fourth straight month in January, suggesting the central bank's interest-rate increases late last year are cooling demand for housing.

The bank's two rate increases have boosted home-loan rates to 7.07 percent, adding about A$66 ($50) a month in repayments on an average A$200,000 mortgage repaid over 30 years.
Read the full story at Bloomberg

Vt. homes maintain affordability, study indicate - 2004-03-09
Statistically speaking, single-family homes continue to be affordable for most Vermont residents, based on a study by Northern Economic Consulting Inc.

A 6 percent interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage, with a 20 percent down payment, helped keep homes affordable, Woolf said. This year, mortgage rates are even lower, with the 30-year mortgage holding at about 5.6 percent.
Read the full story at Burlington Press