The economic environment for housing is improving. Extended and expanded home buyer tax credit will provide a much-needed boost to housing. The housing market still faces an uphill battle, even as there are signs that these challenges may be starting to recede.

All of this affects the landscape industry, which relies on a robust housing market. In addition to the expected weak job market recovery, potential home buyers need large downpayments and/or near stellar credit to obtain a reasonable mortgage.

Also, builders continue to face difficulty in obtaining Acquisition, Development and Construction loans. Not only have builders found it increasingly difficult to obtain these loans, but in many cases they have faced significant adverse changes to existing loans. These have included reductions in the size of loans previously agreed to (e.g., reductions in lines of credit), demands for increased equity for outstanding loans and, in some cases, demands for full repayment of outstanding loans.

Inaccurate appraisals are another force hindering a faster recovery for housing. These occur when an appraiser ?EUR??,,????'?????<