Home affordability index up in 1st qtr - 2005-05-04
U.S. home affordability in the first quarter increased from the previous quarter but was down from the same period in 2004, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said its housing affordability index climbed to 132.9 in the first quarter of 2005, up from 131.8 in the fourth quarter, but well below 141.2 in the first quarter of 2004. The housing affordability index measures the ability of a family earning the median income to buy a home at the median price.
Read the full story at Washington Post

County's real estate market surges forward - 2005-05-04
Western Nevada County's real estate market remains vibrant and is almost robust enough to qualify as one of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's boom markets.

The FDIC reported Tuesday that the number of areas across the United States with real estate booms expanded almost two-thirds last year to 55, the highest proportion in 30 years and more than twice the peak of the boom times in the late '80s.
Read the full story at Nevada City Union