People who have been finding it hard to sell their existing luxury homes for more affordable ones that can keep easily are finding it harder and harder to find prospective buyers. Many have turned to extreme measures for their house selling efforts such as hiring Feng Shui experts to do some adjustments to increase the amount of positive energy entering the home to getting around with fancy nicknames such as Lover's Paradise, sparkling pool with a view and other outrageous logos just to sell out their home.



The Federal Bureau of Investigation is starting to see a tremendous surge in mortgage fraud investigations that they have diverted agents from menial tasks to help stem the problem. Fraud in US financial Institutions, as well as those associated with lending practices are on the rise as a result of the sub-prime mortgage debacle. There were several incidents of insider trading violations who allow risky borrowers to continue getting loans in spite of the current crisis that has been a result of the same practices. Several companies, though undisclosed, are being investigated for fraud and other crimes related to the mortgage industry.

Lenders are some of the worst hit but they are essential for the industry to survive for they provide bulk of finances needed for short-term goals. They are also the ones who fuels the industry but cases of fraud and insider meddling may signify that people are getting desperate in their attempts to survive the crisis. The agency is hard at work to get these people to answer for their crimes in hopes of preventing further loss of confidence in them for they are the lifeblood of the industry indeed.

The Census Bureau in a report has shown that the volume of vacant houses that are coming up for sale is at a high of 2.9% of all US homes and that figure excludes rental properties. The last highest level was recorded way back 1956 and the figures are sending shivers to homeowners as they too may lose their homes in the coming months. Once exclusive properties have been turned into regular homes with prices hitting rock bottom and much of their allure gone.

Doing the math, that amounts to a total of 2.28 million properties that are vacant and for sale in the whole United States from 2.18 million from the last quarter of last year. Global economists are finding the figures quite worrying and they are keeping a close eye on the matter. Figures of low house sales that palaces it at a 16 1/2 year low isn't helping and people are truly worried. Construction firms who have been hit have cut back on their work in hopes of getting the housing industry to catch up are having to cut back more to remain in business.

If area is taken into account, the current home prices in the US are at the lowest levels in many years and that goes for all the levels of the spectrum. The realty business has relied on the price/square foot metric to avoid the influencing of house sizes on pricing trends.

The prices per square foot have decreased by more than 25% for some metro areas with some experiencing increases in mere points. Indexes that track changes to 20 major US cities have a combined price decrease of around 12% which is another sign of the growing pains in the industry that is waiting for signs of hope that the crisis is going to end soon.