News, Ideas and Information from Around the Web

Procrastinating Home Buyers May Lose Price Advantage
from Nation's Building News
Mirroring what is occurring in many of the nation’s top housing markets, conditions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, which includes Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs, show that the market correction is winding down during the first half of this year, according to Stephen Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University... read more

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Extended to Window Film
from PR Newswire
As warmer winter weather has some experts forecasting 2007 to be the warmest year on record, concern over climate change and energy costs are driving consumers to make energy-efficient choices. To encourage these choices, the tax credit established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has been expanded to include solar control window film... read more

Housing Bust Rebels
from BusinessWeek.com
You can buy a house on Park Place with $200 in Monopoly money, but the real thing will cost a whole lot more, especially after last year. Even as national home prices saw their worst-ever decline last quarter, the median home price in the Atlantic City (N.J.) area shot up almost 26%, to $339,800, marking the sharpest year-over-year increase of any U.S. metropolitan area... read more

Apogee Exits Auto Glass Market; Will PPG Follow?
from e-glass weekly
Executives from Apogee Enterprises Inc. in Minneapolis announced in February that the company exited the auto replacement windshield market.

PPG Director of Corporate Communications Jack Maurer confirmed to AutoGlass magazine that the company is “looking at all alternatives for our automotive OEM and replacement glass services business. Those could include acquisitions, restructuring, strategic alliances and divestiture. We’ve engaged outside advisers to help us consider our alternatives, and that includes the potential sale of our automotive OEM and automotive replacement glass and services operating segments.”
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