Number of minority home buyers down in 2006 (Market Watch)
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The total number of minority home buyers who took out a mortgage dropped 7.1% in 2006, led by a 21.5% decrease in the number of Asian-American buyers. But the number of African-American home buyers actually rose slightly last year, reflecting a 0.6% increase over 2005, according to a study released on Thursday.

Home loan demand falls despite interest rate dip (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
U.S. mortgage applications fell for a second straight week, largely reflecting a drop in demand for home refinancing loans, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Michigan's Comic Strip Government Mirrors Detroit: Doron Levin (Bloomberg.com)
Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The state of Michigan needs a new name. How about Lower Slobbovia, the land invented by cartoonist Al Capp where hapless inhabitants lived in chilly, hopeless economic isolation?

Weekend expo puts home and garden pros in one place (The Ann Arbor News)
Many homeowners take on new home improvement projects in the fall and that's part of the motivation for the Home Builders Association of Livingston County's first Builders Home and Garden Expo this weekend.

National Milestone is Highlight of Celebration in Michigan: 500 Homes Built, Thousands of Lives Changed (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
PONTIAC, Mich.----An unprecedented alliance between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, called "Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity," is planning a special celebration in Michigan to announce an historic milestone: 500 quality, affordable homes built in 45 states in partnership with 500 low-income families in just two years.