Real Estate to Bloom in Springtime?

Real Estate to Bloom in Springtime?

Investors might discover in the weeks ahead that calling a bottom in the housing downturn is a mug's game.   First, it had been looking to some like a bottom might be at hand. Then, Lennar Corp. said it expected to show a large loss on the back of land write-downs of $400 million to $500 million. The home builder said it has yet to see "tangible evidence of a market recovery." Later on, the National Association of Realtors said its index of pending home sales, which is based on how many sales contracts have been signed in a given month, slipped in November. The Dow Jones index of home-building shares fell 4.3%.

This is a slow time of year for the housing market. Little wiggles in actual activity can