Every day there are decisions being made in Washington that matter to remodeling firms

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 14.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.

The EPA lead rule continues to pose challenges for remodelers

Morgan Stanley analysts released their Housing Market Insights report, according to a report by HousingWire. The Morgan Stanley report predicts that home prices will fall by five to ten percent in 2011, and then remain flat for four years. The analysts added, however, that home prices are still at risk of falling further, and that the housing trough may continue through 2012.

The high number of homes for sale right now could be due to the increased number of households with members who are 55 and older, said a University of Virginia professor in a report by The Virginian-Pilot.

The nation’s first Passive House retrofit was completed this week in California, according to a report by Jetson Green. The single-family residence, which uses the same amount of energy as a standard hair dryer, was designed by Lail Design Group and constructed by Solar Knights Construction.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced winners of the fourth annual Homes for Life Award on it website. The award program, sponsored by Andersen Windows, recognizes excellent remodeling work for aging-in-place and universal design.

President Obama plans to veto a bill that could make it more difficult for homeowners to fight foreclosures, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The veto comes in the wake of revelations about “robo-signers,” people who signed foreclosure documents without first reviewing them. Blocking the bill could make it more difficult for companies to complete the foreclosure process and paperwork quickly, allowing homeowners more time to resolve loan issues.

Job market conditions have improved from a year ago, but have been essentially flat for the past five months, according to Gallup's Job Creation Index.

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