Home building immediately stimulates the economy. In addition to providing jobs to workers in the construction industry, funds flow to a variety of local service and goods providers and to local governments in the form of fees and taxes. These funds then ripple through the economy as workers spend their wages in local businesses and businesses replenish their stock.

News from our friends across the street at Champlain Housing Trust (CHT): A new study shows community land trust homeowners have lower foreclosure and delinquency rates.

The numbers come from a new report published by Emily Thaden, a researcher at Vanderbilt University, and the National Community Land Trust Network. They show "conventional" homeowners were eight times more likely to be in the process of foreclosure than land trust homeowners at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009.

A story from the Associated Press (AP) today echoes what we wrote in this year's "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Housing and Wages in Vermont" report: Homes are still unaffordable for many despite lower interest rates.

The AP cites job security, poor credit score and lack of cash as contributing factors to the problem.

Read the story online.

WCAX-TV Channel 3 aired a follow-up to its story from a couple weeks ago about Wharf Lane Apartments.

Read the story online.