A booming year for building - 2004-05-24
Elkhart is among the 30 most livable cities in the country, according to a recent study, but most people purchasing new homes are going to Goshen or Middlebury, and they're constructing at a record pace in Elkhart County.

Keim said low interest rates are enabling buyers to afford more home for the same mortgage payment. Mortgage rates at six percent or less have fed a nationwide housing construction boom.
Read the full story at South Bend Tribune

What goes down, must come up - 2004-05-24
Most people count their wealth by the value of their home, which is why headlines about higher interest rates and falling house prices are so emotive. Little wonder, then, if Middle England choked on its collective Cornflakes this morning as newspapers reported the prospect of interest rates doubling to 8.5%.

On closer reading, however, the comments by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which represents banks and building societies offering home loans, are not quite so pessimistic.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited