Who disagrees that house prices will continue to fall?

Buyer's agents disagree, because they get nothing if there is no sale. Agents get paid only if their clients buy, no matter how bad the deal is, which is the exact opposite of the buyer's best interest. Agents take $100 billion each year in commissions from buyers. Agents claim the seller pays the commission, but always fail to mention that the seller gets that money from the buyer. Think about it: who brings the money to the table - the seller or the buyer? All money comes from buyers. No buyer, no money. Real estate in America is all about deception. There is no free market because bids on houses are never published and bids are often faked to get you to think you have to pay more.

Mortgage brokers disagree, because they take a percentage of the loan. They want buyers to take out the biggest loan possible to maximize their commission. Even worse - mortgage brokers get paid according to how bad the deal is for the buyer. The worse the deal is (higher interest rate, points, fees, etc) the more the mortgage broker gets!

Government agencies like Fannie, Freddie, and the FHA disagree, because their own existence (read "executive salaries") depends on guaranteeing private loans with public money. These agencies are perhaps the largest scam ever devised. Most people will borrow as much as they possibly can to buy a house. The existence of Fannie and Freddie just make it possible to borrow yet more money by pushing lending risk onto taxpayers, benefitting bankers with larger interest payments, and harming buyers with higher housing costs. Ironically, Fannie and Freddie drive up the cost of housing in the name of "affordability". The public is unlikely to ever understand this. The perfect crime.

Banks disagree, at least when they can get origination fees and then sell the mortgage, because in that case they do not care about the bankruptcy of borrowers. Banks sold most loans to the government agencies Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and now use the FHA the same way. The conversion of low-quality housing debt into "high" quality government debt was the main support for the housing bubble. Fannie and Freddie already imploded, and the FHA is now on the edge. The other way for banks to dump the risk of loan default has been the Wall Street market for private mortgage-backed securities. When mass foreclosures eliminated the loan-resale market, the Federal Reserve bought private mortgage-backed bonds in huge quantities, using newly printed cash. The Federal Reserve is nothing short of a criminal conspiracy to protect the banker class at the expense of the rest of us.

Appraisers disagree, because they are paid by mortgage brokers and banks, so they are going to give the appraisals that mortgage brokers and banks want to see, not the truth. Appraisers that kill a deal by telling the truth do not get called back to do other appraisals.

Newspapers disagree, because they earn money from advertising placed by realtors, lenders, and mortgage brokers. Papers are pressured by that money to publish the real estate industry's unrealistic forecasts. Worse, realtors have a near-monopoly on sale price information, and newspaper reporters never ask realtors hard questions like "how do we know you're not lying about those prices?" The result is an endless stream of stories reporting that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says it's a good time to buy. Asking the NAR about housing is like walking into a used car dealership and asking the salesman if today would be a good day to buy a car.

The Federal Government disagrees, because everyone in Congress gets campaign bribes (oops -- I meant campaign donations) from the NAR and from the banks. So every Federal law will be aimed squarely at increasing commissions for the NAR and increasing interest payments to banks. Buyers lose, because they have no lobbyists in DC. The very laws of our country have been corrupted to squeeze more profits out of you.

Current owners disagree, because they do not want to believe they are going to lose huge amount s of money. Anyone who owns is likely to encourage you to buy too, to prop up their own house value via comps, and so that they can feel that they are not alone in their sinking boat.

Source: Patrick.net

Glass Ceiling Still Exist?

More females than ever are entering the work force but a huge majority of top management positions around the world are held by men. Females in high positions tend to be in lower management positions and hold less authority than men. This suggests that something beyond just sex differences in career patterns must be at work to account for the huge difference in the number of men versus women in top management positions. Even though women as a whole may place less emphasis on career success than men, there are a considerable amount of women who struggle for top management positions and are unable to achieve them.

There are many causes of the glass ceiling. I believe it is mostly caused by us women. We doubt our ability to succeed and that prevents us from making an effort. An example is we may choose to work fewer hours than men in order to spend more time with our families. Women also measure success in the workplace differently than men. Men are likely to measure success by high salaries and status while women place a higher value on their relationships with colleagues and community service. And stereotyping is also a cause of the glass ceiling.

As women we need to find a way around this, one of the best ways to address this issue is to find guidance, a mentor, be it male or female. Women should find someone who will show them the rope and help navigate the right direction to further their career. When they make it, they need to reach back and help the woman behind them. When possible, promote and hire other well qualified women. Yes, the corporate world is still a challenge with a variety of misunderstandings, assumptions and historical biases towards women in the workplace. But just because there are still difficulties, doesn’t mean we should stop trying. It is important for us to be persistent and go for what we want because we just might crack the glass ceiling.