As I was driving around the other day I realized just how fortunate we are. San Antonio's housing market has slowed down but people can still sell their houses. Our house prices were never really that high to begin with so I'm pretty sure they haven't lost value. I think the thing that's hurt the housing market here the most is the bombardment of every single developer under the sun coming in and building a new development. Just on the road next to our subdivision there have been 9 new neighborhoods going up in the last year and a half. We have a 900,000 sf shopping center going up a mile to one side and an 800,000 sf shopping center going up 3 miles on the other side. BRAC is sending 7,000 individuals to Fort Sam, we practically have a new medical center going up about 4 miles from our house, around 11 companies are looking to move their data centers to our area, and there are new shopping centers and business parks going up everywhere. I realize all this growth isn't a guarantee our area will get through this "economic slowdown" unscathed, but I feel our area is getting by better than others. I was just wondering how things were in other areas? Does anyone else live in an area that's seeing this kind of growth?

__________________
Jenny, wife to Brad, mommy to two crazy little kids with one on the way!

After about a year of new housing slow down in our area, the building has begun again. Houses are selling, although not at the rediculously inflated prices they were a few years ago. With the low interest rates, it's a good time to buy a house here, and they are selling if priced reasonably. I'm very confident we could sell our house in less than a month if we chose to.

Two new shopping centers are being built within 5 miles from where I live. It's nice, as I would not usually shop at the stores going in, due to the cost of gas to travel to the next city. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the sudden expansion.

Actually, I believe that the kind of unfettered growth you have does sort of shield you from economic glitches. Maybe not forever, but better than most areas of the country.

I am from Texas and have seen that for myself. People complained of overgrowth, but there were always jobs available if you needed one and homes were so plentiful that prices stayed low.

Now I live in New England where a great deal of NIMBY (not in my back yard) goes on. Roadblocks are in place to restrict as much commercial development and residential development as possible. Keeps it quaint and beautiful but companies leave, developers give up and workers can't afford housing. So when an economic difficulty arises like the price of gasoline, food or housing crisis, there is no way to get over the hump gracefully. It just hurts.

Cathleen

I live in another area where I never see all the horrors everyone else talks about. I mean gas prices are up, and grocery prices may be up some, but homes still sell, everyone I know still has a job, tons of new building going on, great schools, etc. But where I am you can't tell there's a recession.

__________________

I live in Michigan. Although I do not feel poor or undernourished and we get by with God's help. I think Michigan has the worst economy right now.

__________________
Mom to Kellan 12-16-2000
Brooklyn 12-27-2005
Nolan 10-15-2007
Wife to Russell 10-14-2005

Our gas is above the national average. We have a very high rate of foreclosure. Houses are not selling. In my immediate area there are several half built construction sites that ran out of $, including a huge high rise that was supposed to be selling condos "from the 500's." It sits empty. Our schools are set to lose something like $80 million for 08-09 school year. People are losing jobs in many sectors. Tourism is still good thanks to the dollar being down; we get a lot of foreign tourists.

In 2005, I believe, we had a HUGE housing boom and prices tripled in many cases. Basically home values were falsely inflated. That's why we are so screwed. People owe more on their mortages than their houses will ever sell for again, they are basically trapped in those mortgages. I feel so sad for them.

I'm in a large SoCal city and could have wrote this exact same thing. There are 2 foreclosures on our street. Many "short sales" within our neighborhood as well. One small street near my younger kids' school has 4 homes for sale.

Housing prices are down 19.2% ~ the 5th highest in the US.

Our kids are not in a public school, but a private school and the re-enrollment next year is WAY down for next year.

The public schools are taking a big hit here. There will no longer be summer school, only for those children who have learning disabilities. Teachers are losing jobs ~ class sizes are getting bigger.

Not a great place to be.

__________________
SAHM of 4

August food budget (groceries/take-out): $500.00/$75.00
Total spent: $238.97/$14.12

July budget/spent: $500.00/$650.00

i live in a small town about 25 min from the next larger one and the housing is stagnent here no one wants to pay the gas to drive the 60 plus miles round trip everyday. i have also noticed that alot of the housing developments in the town 25 min to our south has alot of model homes for sale... it is just taking longer for things to sell you need to be in the right area of town and school districts and be priced to sell.

__________________
'The will of God will never take you where the
Grace of God will not protect you.'

HAVE A BOOTIFUL HALLOWEEN

Welcome to Buffalo, New York the second poorest city in the country The experts say the recession hasn't really hit us because our area has been in a recession for such a long time.

Companies close left and right and often move overseas. The new emerging industry which our politicians claim will save us is casinoes. Who has money to gamble??

New stores and restaurants still come in but they may be a block away from stores or restaurants that went out of business.

Gas is now $3.80 a gallon. Housing prices have remained stable. ARMs were not needed.

Having more than one good job offer to choose from would be a luxury. Most people leave after college for better jobs.

Why do we stay? Family, affordable housing, nice climate - really, friendly people, good schools in most areas, great architecture and THE GOO GOO DOLLS! We keep hoping that our proximity to Canada for trade and our resource of water from Lake Erie will help bring people and businesses back.

I keep abreast of politics to try and make things better. I still love it here.

__________________
Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.

WWII saying

I saw something on the news about Salt Lake City being recession proof. Of course there are about 10 houses in our neighborhood that haven't been selling (some were for sale when we first looked here 9 months ago). Milk is still $2.28 at Wal-Mart though!

__________________
It's not what you make; it's what you spend.