U.S. PRESIDENT George W. Bush rode across the mid west during his 2004 re-election campaign in a bus emblazoned, "Yes, America can." It turns out the bus was made in Canada.

This past week George W was brave enough to venture across the 49th parallel into my homeland, the  hinterland called Canada where quail actual roam free and the Real Estate market continues to set sales records.  He and our Prime Minister as well as Mexico's Prime Minister spent the week discussing trade, coastal boundaries and shipping lanes, and who's country makes the best nachos.

George probably left scratching his noggin as to why Canada which traditionally since the great depression has echoed the US economic up and down shifts continues along on an upward roll economically.  

I am curious as well. Is a change of power going to drastically influence the short term economy of the US? There are many key factors as to why major portions of the United States find them selves in an uncertain economy.

Iraq plays a part as does the shift of middle class labor to developing countries by major US industries to escape high costs of unionized wages thereby keeping corporate share holders smiling. I think the major cause of the retreat in the US housing markets is the billions of dollars in sub prime mortgage debt out there that is held by people who took advantage of lax qualification standards over the past 10 years. To paraphrase Warren Buffett, "when the tide starts to go out, the people swimming naked are the first to be affected."

I would like to hear others ideas and predictions on both sides of the border. Where do you think the business of Real Estate is headed over the next few years and what will be the major influential factors?