Joan Rogliano

An upside-down Christmas tree! Who has ever heard of anything so ridiculous?

Well, you may be surprised to hear that an upside-down Christmas tree is one of the hottest fads of the season. But it's actually not so new. In fact, it goes back to the Middle Ages. In that religious time, the upside down tree was intended to represent the Trinity. Bringing back this forgotten custom does have commercial overtones as it allows for more merchandise under the tree but some like the cutting edge aspect to it!
This is not only unusual custom out there. Here are few others that are sure to raise your eyebrow:

In Italy they have no Christmas trees. Instead they decorate
small wooden pyramids with fruit.

Ukrainians decorate their trees with an artificial spider and
matching web. A spider web found on Christmas morning is
believed to bring good luck.

The citizens of Caracas, Venezuela block off the streets on
Christmas eve so that people can roller-skate to God's house.

It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while
mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the
ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction.

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head
of a pig prepared with mustard.

Sending red Christmas cards to anyone in Japan constitutes
bad etiquette, since funeral notices there are customarily
printed in red.

In Norway on Christmas Eve, all the brooms in the house
are hidden because long ago it was believed that witches
and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would
steal their brooms for riding.

No matter what tradition you observe in your family be sure to enjoy the holidays with those you love and appreciate the time together.

One of the most useful research projects of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is the annual survey of homebuyers and sellers. The information is based on answers to an eight-page questionnaire mailed to 133,000 consumers who purchased a home between July 2007 and June 2008.

Here are some highlights of this years finding:

•· 41% of the market constituted First-time homebuyers.

•· 6% percent of buyers purchased a home that had been foreclosed or that was in the process of foreclosure.

•· 69% of buyers said that they used the internet frequently during their home search.

•· 33% of buyers went to the internet as the first step in the home search.

•· 17% contacted a real estate agent first.

•· 9% began by driving through neighborhoods looking for homes for sale.

Buyers use multiple sources of information in the process of looking for a home. The top three sources were:

•· 87% used the internet

•· 85% used real estate agents

•· 62% used yard signs

Of the 87% who used the internet in their search process they visited the following sites:

•· 60% of those buyers went to MLS sites.

•· 48% percent used Realtor®.com

•· 46% went to real estate company websites

•· 43% went to sites hosted by individual agents.

While there is a lot of intriguing information about the sources of information used by prospective homebuyers, certainly the most relevant has to do with where they actually found the home that they ultimately purchased.

•· 34% of buyers found their home from information provided by their real estate agent.

•· 32% found their home on the internet.

15% found their home via a yard sign

Whether Colorado's economy has joined the rest of the country in recession is a question local economists can't agree on. The National Bureau of Economic Research declared earlier this week that the U.S. economy began contracting a year ago, but the bureau doesn't determine cycles for states.

Colorado Springs economist Tucker Hart Adams thinks Colorado slipped into a recession with the rest of the country 12 months ago.

Colorado probably succumbed to the national recession in October, said Ernie Goss, chief executive of the Denver-based Goss Institute, an economics research firm that publishes the Mountain States Business Conditions Index.

That survey of Colorado supply managers showed contracting conditions starting in October and deepening in November.

The National Bureau of Economic Research looks at several economic indicators to determine the start of a recession. This time around, it leaned heavily on payroll job reports to mark when the current decline began.

Although the U.S. has been shedding jobs all this year, Colorado continued to add jobs through October on a year-over-year basis.

That's why Patricia Silverstein, an economist with Development Research Partners in Littleton, contends the state has avoided a recession so far.

She is forecasting payroll job growth of 0.5 percent for the state next year. While meager compared with the 2.2 percent average growth rate the past 30 years, it still represents a gain. Colorado will continue to perform better next year than the rest of the country, and that will draw additional job seekers.

At the National level Denver is viewed as being in a strong economic position. According to the analysts at The Wall Street Journal, Denver is one of the top 3 cities to do business in for both 2007 and 2008. The Wall Street Journal's Market Watch rated Denver as #3 in 2008 and #2 in 2007 in their Top Cities for Business study. Cities were ranked against each other in each of the eight categories -- Fortune 1000, S&P 500, Russell 2000, Forbes 400, small-business, unemployment, population growth and job growth.

That fact that there is a debate as to whether Colorado is in a recession is proof that this city is still thriving and strong enough to weather even tough economic times such as these.

Would you like more information on the Colorado Market? Contact Joan@RoglianoRealEstategroup.com or visit www.roglianorealestategroup.com or www.wildflowergroup.com.

News that the Treasury Department may use Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's influence on mortgage markets to push interest rates on home loans down to 4.5 percent has raised hopes for a boost in home sales but sparked debate on whether it's wise to prop up housing prices.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Treasury is considering using Fannie, Freddie and other government-sponsored entities to purchase securities backed by mortgages at a price equivalent to a rate of 4.5 percent.

Treasury officials have not commented, but the Federal Reserve announced a similar program on Nov. 25, saying it would spend $600 billion to buy mortgage-backed securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae.

The announcement brought down interest rates on conforming loans by about 1 percent and sent mortgage applications soaring.

Each 1 percent reduction in mortgage interest rate gives home buyers about 10 percent more purchasing power. That can not only get buyers off the fence, but also prop up home prices.

This intiative, coupled with the $7,500 Homebuyer Tax Credit, could mean great news for buyers and sellers alike!

Would you like more information? Contact Joan@RoglianoRealEstateGroup.com or visit www.wildflowergroup.com or www.roglianorealestategroup.com.

11. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer

during the spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money!

10. You can sell now for more money and we will provide for a delayed closing or

extended occupancy until early next year!

9. Even though your house will be on the market, you still have the option to restrict

showings during the six or seven days around the Holidays!

8. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since

transferees cannot wait until spring to buy, you need to be on the market during

the Holidays to capture the market!

7. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons!

6. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do

during a working week!

5. Buyers are more emotional during the Holidays, so they are more likely to

pay your price!

4. Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays!

3. Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase in January, there will be less

demand for your particular home! Less demand means less money for you!

2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less

competition means more money for you!

And the number ONE reason why your Seller should list during the Holidays...

1. People who look for homes during the Holidays are more serious buyers!