The constant thrashing in the worlds money markets is not helping real estate sales. At least not here in Colorado Springs. Our market is very "housing cost driven", which means that people are sensitive to the monthly payments required to buy a house. When interest rates jump, it has a dampening effect on peoples appetites to buy, because for the same payment, they can afford less. With the stock market already low, and now Fannie Mae (FNMA, Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) both having liquidity problems, it is going to be interesting how liquidity is going to flow into the real estate market so that buyers can still borrow the money to buy homes. We solve that, and the oil crisis, and "then there will be world peace" :-) Currently rates are still in the mid 6's, which we can probably live with, but it was only last month we were still in the 5's, and I miss that already.
It is hot for the next couple of days here. It started pretty nice (ok, gorgeous) this morning, but 90 today and higher tomorrow is what they say. I don't think we hit 80 before noon, but it seemed to be warming up kind of quick over lunch time. Our overnight temps tend to drop 30 or more degrees from the daytime high, so even hot weather like this is pretty bearable, although I am personally more of a cool weather fan.