Builders’ Confidence Drops Like An Elevator With A Snapped Cable; “Crisis” May Hand Obama A Golden Opportunity

Just when you think things can’t worse…get any lower….they get worse and they get lower.
A new study out, reported by CNNMoney, shows that the confidence level of homebuilders has gone down to yet another record low for November.

The figures come, by the way, from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing market index.

A “crisis situation” is what the chairman of the NAHB calls this,according to CNN.

What now?

The government is still refusing direct financial aid to those who face foreclosure–you know, the kind of aid taxpayers have already given big banks and at least one giant insurance company (quiz…can you name which one?)

A large number of experts, if there are any, believe that the key to this entire financial mess we find ourselves in is to make sure the housing market returns to something that most folks would recognize as normal.

A lot of these other “fixes”, by that measure, are skirting the issue. Great they can save the banks. Great they can save AIG (that’s the answer to the quiz question BTW). Great they may end up saving GM.

But until they save homeowners, we are not likely to even begin turning things around.

Is Obama the answer?

That is the question around Washington and the nation. Can he really fix the problem within a short time of taking office?

The answer is probably not. But it may not matter. It has been pointed out that FDR didn’t actually get us out of the Great Depression, but he scored points with voters because he was willing to try just about anything to do so. That goodwill went a long way.

Obama may shadow what FDR did. He may get credit for trying anything and everything and that by itself may greatly ease the situation. It would induce confidence among many.

True, Obama will take office with his party in control of Congress—it added another seat today with final defeat of the Republican Senator from Alaska who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. (Moose jar in Alaska? That doesn’t make sense.)

However, Democrats do not think or vote as a block. There are factions within factions.

But with horrible economic figures likely to continue and, in fact, grow worse, Obama may have a golden, once in a presidency, chance of actually getting something done that will address the mortgage crisis and start bringing it to an end.

Photo Credit: tylerc083

Welcome to Our Blog!
Welcome to the Real Estate Dispatch from BiggerPockets.com. Our blog brings together experts in various fields of real estate with the goal of keeping our readers informed and up to speed. Whether you're a real estate professional (lender, Realtor, banker, etc), investor (landlord, flipper, wholesaler, etc.), or simply a consumer, renter or homeowner interested in the world of real estate, this blog is the place for you to get involved!

You can subscribe to our RSS feed, get blog updates by email, join our free mailing list, or best of all, join our social network along with 35,000 others interested in real estate education, dealmaking, networking, and marketing.