What do you make of this " tid bit " ?

I do not listen to the news;) Bad news sells, that's why they keep it constant.

It's a Good Life!

Fran Rokicki, Clubnet~Mentor

Bill... that is a very interesting little tidbit of information. I'm not sure what to read into it, however. I think you point is valid. There is either and extreme lack of confidence or a feeling that this just isn't the right time to spend. I'm not sure about them seeing it as breaking soon. That would seem to indicate they might want to spend. Very interesting indeed. Great find on your part.

Bill,

All that money they would have spent at Lowes is being spent at Exxon Mobil etc.   Thanks,   Fran

I would say the consumers are playing it safe until there is normalcy back in the market. With the holidays approaching , the uncertainty most folks are just holding back and saving for a rainy day.

This isn't that surprising.  It's possible that everybody who needed to fix up their home already did, or those who were planning to by taking equity out of their home can no longer qualify.  Also, the "flippers" are now out of the market, and that may have been a significant % of home improvement dollars.

It seems like Lowes and Home Depot make money when people fix up for any reason - either to make the place nicer for themselves or to make it more attractive for the market.  In some parts of the country, it sounds like sellers can't afford to fix up.  And like Fran said, even people planning to stay put are struggling to keep up with the basic maintenance with nothing left over for additions or new kitchens.

Hi Bill,

I think there are many factors in why the consumer is not putting back into their homes.  

They can't afford too!

Fear of what will happen government wise, housing wise, economy wise, war wise, weather wise...did I miss anything from our local media?  Many everyday costs increasing......

Interesting post and it doesn't suprise me. thank you for commenting on my post!