Ok, so I wake up this every morning to the usual sun coming through the plantation shutters.. But today there was a grey haze or marine layer that was looming over the valley.  So, as I get out of bed I do my usual early morning stagger to the kitchen, open up the fridge and whip up my morning French press of Peets Italian roast.  Pour a cup, and head to the couch and pop on CNBC as I usually do in the morning.  Check my stock portfolio and see where I sit in the morning trade day on Wall Street.  Suddenly, CNBC cuts to a live shot of the White House Press Room and Secretary Henry Paulson comes on...and the rest is history... 

CNBC'S morning news covers the Secretary of Treasury's comments... In a nutshell, the housing market is declining and the government will not assert a bailout for anyone although they are willing to lend some help.  Remarks from Fed Chairman Ben Bernake and leading fund managers were as follows: "Bernanke said in a speech last night in New York that it's too early to gauge how much the housing recession will affect spending by consumers and businesses. Concern that rising mortgage defaults will curb corporate profits prompted analysts to predict the first earnings decline in five years for S&P 500 companies, according to third-quarter estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

``The housing situation is going to continue to plague the U.S. economy,'' said Kevin Rendino, who runs the $8.1 billion BlackRock Basic Value Fund from Plainsboro, New Jersey. ``It's going to be a lot harder for companies to hit earnings.''

My question... What do we do as Realtors and Real Estate sales professionals to curb the housing consumer's fear of buying when they see this kind of information? This is not a joke. You cannot lie to the consumer. What can you possibly say to someone who is sitting on their hands to buy a home?  Your comments are welcomed because I think this is a great point of debate.

Chris