Hot housing markets - 2005-02-15
Anyone trying to find signs of weakness in the real estate market will be disappointed, according to the National Association of Realtors.

A record number of metropolitan areas – 62 out of 129 – saw double-digit home-price gains between the fourth quarter of 2003 and the fourth quarter of 2004. The previous record was set during the second quarter when 49 metros were up 10 percent or more.
Read the full story at CNN

Interest on home equity loans not always deductible - 2005-02-15
Low mortgage interest rates made 2004 another robust year for refinancing, and home-equity borrowing in the United States reached a record-high level last year, according to a recent study.

Americans assumed $431.3 billion of home equity loans and lines of credit, according to SMR Research, a market research firm in New Jersey. That’s up 35 percent from 2003.
Read the full story at Bradenton Herald