Real Estate Crash Delayed Again

The much-prognosticated real estate downturn failed to show again this month as the nation set a new record for housing starts for January. Noting that the Northeast and Midwest had the greatest increases over January 2005, economists blamed warm weather in those regions. They cautioned that the strong numbers were a blip, noting that major homebuilders like Toll Brothers and KB Homes have reported a drop in orders even as new construction rages.