I heard your program while on my way to an assignment for my job as a commercial real estate appraiser. The job was the appraisal of five of seven lots in a stalled subdivision owned by a bankrupt developer. When the property was appraised four years ago there were six comparable sales within 1/2 mile. Now I have to go county-wide to find five.

You asked on the program if new homes should be built today. I believe the answer is "yes" - but they should be the "next generation" of house. Not some futuristic off-the-grid spaceship (which most folks don't want), but a regular-looking house of a modest size (1,200 - 1,800 SF) that is highly energy efficient. Include solar and small wind units, and maybe geothermal. Yes, they are more expensive to build, but the lower operating cost over the life of the house is worth it.

you should do a segment on co-ops and
some of the corruption involved.,

My wife and I live in Park Slope and own a brownstone. We bought it 33 years ago, and many people told us we were crazy at the time. We raised two wonderful sons in this home. Our home is a haven and we didn't see it as an investment. By the miracle of time, Park Slope has improved greatly. The house is paid off and we live very comfortably due to our low housing cost. The built up equality affords us a HELOC which we can tap into if we wished. My advise to people wanting to own. Start off with something you can afford. Buy a fixer-upper, and make it your own over time. The world's population is only going up, and there is only so much land. Go for it!

we just moved from mich to sfl. we ar
e renting and will buy in six months either a single home or a single home and a rental property because the rents in sfl are inflated. as for our place in mi we have a few offers to rent with options to buy our home.

Most Americans do not expect to stay in their houses for their whole lives because job markets demand flexibility in choosing where we live. They are not buying HOMES they are investing in real estate - which is not a reliable short term investment.

I live in my HOME. I have lived here my whole life. I do not think of my home and land as an investment. I do not plan to leave the home and land that sustains me. Most Americans are not in my situation.

To the younger generation who want mostly NEW homes - most of these "shiny new" houses are actually cheaply built with inferior materials. Most of these start falling apart within the first year after construction and will be SERIOUSLY in need of MAJOR repairs within 20 years. Buyers - BEWARE!!!