CNBC reports that baby bommers are willing to move farther than previous generations and choosing places unlike stereotypical retirement hotspots.

Top places listed bt AARP are:

1. Loveland/Ft. Collins, Colorado

2. Las Cruces, New Mexico

3. Rehoboth Beach, Deleware

4. Portland, Oregon

5. Greenville, South Carolina*

6. Sarasota, Florida

7. Ann Arbor, Michigan

8. Tucson, Arizona

9. Montpelier, Vermont

10. Honolulu, Hi.

11. Santa Fe, New Mexico

12. Atlanta, Ga.

13. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA* 

The Wall Street Journal reports that a recent survey from Barclays Wealth Manangement group showed that wealthy investors have a renewed interest for real estate.

The survey of 2,000 investors world-wide with investible assets of more than $800,000, 75% of the respondents felt residencial real estate looks attractive from an investment perspective. Due to tight credit approx. 60% were not buying at this time. 

Interestingly, alomost half (49%) of the women surveyed consider real estate to be a less risky   than stocks, compared with 37% of the men surveyed.

Women also are more likely to enjoy investing in real estate: 44% of women surveyed find buying property more enjoyable than investing in other asset classes, compared with 28% of men.

Only 14% of the women prefer to invest in real estate through funds, while 34% of men prefer this approach.

Many local, regional, and national builders are wondering whether new homes require 4,800 square feet of living space. Or media rooms and theaters with 100+ inch screens or six bathrooms. I'm now living in a custom home on Daniel Island that is just over 2,300 square feet with four bathrooms. My next house will be more like 2,600 square feet with three bathrooms. 

With the American hosuing market decline and new home purchase loans at a nine-year low new buyers want smaller and simpler new homes. The smaller designed homes also mean less energy spent, less water usage, and lower maintenance cost overall. The ego-driven markets of having a two story foyer when you enter the home are gone! Many builders see a more conservative approach to their newhome designs. There's no formal living room or grand staircase. Today's buyers want open floor plans with the kitchen, family room, and breakfast area all in one open-space.   

by Siri Anderson, PayScale.com

We all want to know what's going to happen with the job market in 2009, especially where salaries are concerned. Is a raise in your future? It might just come down to where you live.

Yet the most recent and complete numbers for salary growth in metropolitan areas are from 2007, and with everything our economy has been through in recent months -- unstable markets, major businesses collapsing, and an official announcement of a U.S. recession -- those numbers seem all but obsolete.

So, how do you know which city might offer you a salary boost? According to Laurence Shatkin, author of the recently published "150 Recession-Proof Jobs," there is a pattern to discover in the places that do well in a recession. Industries such as basic health care, education, transportation services and government jobs stay strong in a recession because they cater to more basic societal needs. These industries will frequently concentrate in the same areas -- quite often state capitals -- maintaining job growth and wage increases, while other areas suffer more.

Below are some profiles of the top-performing large cities of 2008 and their 2007 statistics on personal income growth, according to the Bureau of Economic Research. Looking at these numbers and how "recession-proof" their main industries are will hopefully give an idea how well they'll continue to perform into 2009.

Austin-Round Rock, TX - pop. 840,066 - 7.7% avg. salary increase
Building off of an already robust government labor sector, the University of Texas at Austin is a huge source of innovation. The area has been using UT's excellent programs from bioengineering to pharmaceutical research programs to invigorate both the technology and burgeoning pharmaceutical industries.

Bakersfield, CA - pop. 315, 837 - 6.6% avg. salary increase
Oilfields and other natural resources created a lot of opportunity for growth around this city recently, and increased demand for services has spurred along the education and health-care sectors. Wages grew here much faster than the national average in recent years, and though that rate is expected to taper, nearby Edwards Air Base and Chevron should help to stabilize the economy and maintain a decent wage growth for transportation and logistics jobs.

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC - pop. 245,472 - 8.1% avg. salary increase
The Medical University of South Carolina gives weight to this area's healthcare industry and is inspiring recent investment in the biosciences. This adds to Charleston's already strong transportation/logistics industry -- the Port of Charleston is among the most efficient ports in North America, and that should keep business rolling and wages rising.

Huntsville, AL - pop. 171, 327 - 6.4% avg. salary increase
Yet another city whose strong and growing economy is due to the technology industry, Huntsville's U.S. Army post is also expected to grow over the next few years. In addition, it has just opened the doors to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology which should only encourage more growth in jobs and wages in 2009.

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX - pop. 197, 183 - 7.1% avg. salary increase
Call centers established by Convergys and T-Mobile in this area have created a healthy chunk of jobs recently. The area has also strengthened its home healthcare industry, which is now the second largest employment sector after state and local government. Drawing off these "recession-proof" industries gives hope that wages will continue to grow.

Orlando-Kissimmee, FL - pop. 289,684 - 5.2% avg. salary increase
The health-care industry has been the impetus behind this area's growth, so odds are that the downturn won't hit this area very hard. The Burnham Institute for Medical Research and a new medical school at the University of Central Florida are expected to attract other industries to the area, particularly high-tech firms, all of which point to good chances for wage growth.

Provo-Orem, UT - pop. 210,670 - 9.7% avg. salary increase
Benefiting from the innovative brain-power of Brigham-Young University, the information service industry in this city has been fueling rapid growth over the last five years. Business investment in the tech sector remains strong, which should help Provo-Orem ride out the ,slowdown in good form.

Raleigh-Cary, NC - pop. 375,806 - 8.7% avg. salary increase
State government employment gives this capital city a sturdy backbone for economic security. High quality educational centers (North Carolina State; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) inject creative brainpower into Raleigh's thriving tech companies and its growing biopharmaceutical sector -- all good signs for strength in the coming year.

Salt Lake City, UT - pop 180,651 - 9.2% avg. salary increase
Like Raleigh, Salt Lake City boasts great tech and government jobs. In addition, health care (Intermountain Health Care) and education (University of Utah) add extra spark to SLC's economic fire. Based on this, expectations are high that wage growth will remain comparatively strong.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA - pop. 912,077 - 8.4% avg. salary increase
Microsoft and Boeing are the main jolts of force behind this area's continued growth. Looking into the future, with the heightened interest in green technology, Boeing's push for a more fuel-efficient commercial aircraft will likely reap great rewards. Strong health-care and research institutions also keep paychecks growing in slower economic times.


Sources: Best Performing Cities 2008 (Milken Institute and Greenstreet Partners, September 2008); Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas 2007 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, August 2008); "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs" (Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D.)

CHICAGO — People are afraid to buy a home in times like these, with the economy tanking and home prices continuing to fall. But if you're brave enough to stray from the herd, you might be in for the home-buying opportunity of a lifetime.

Ask for price reductions, improvements, closing costs — whatever — and the seller, desperately trying to get a contract, is very likely to work with you, said Jay Papasan, one of the authors of the book "Your First Home." When the market starts improving, your negotiating power starts to diminish, he added.

"People can get a lot of what they need and almost all of what they want today," Papasan said. "Once a few people get off the fence, there's safety in numbers and you lose your leverage."

If you're qualified to buy a home now, the purchase makes sense for your situation and you're prepared to live in that home for at least five years, there are reasons why you may be headed for a great deal:

--Affordability. According to the National Association of Realtors' housing affordability index, homes were more affordable in December than at any other point since the group started the index in 1970. The affordability index is a measure of the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income.

A report from Moody's Economy.com, released this month, predicted that house prices will stabilize by the end of this year, even though the Case-Shiller house price index will fall another 11 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008.

By the end of the real estate downturn, prices will have fallen by double digits, from peak to trough, in almost 62 percent of the nation's 381 metro areas, according to the report. In 10 percent of the areas, declines will be more than 30 percent.

Not all markets have experienced huge drops, however, so it's wise to take a look at how far prices have fallen in your area. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's has a house price calculator that can help at www.ofheo.gov/HPI.aspx.

--Large inventories. In many places it is taking months to sell a home, creating loads of inventory — from new homes to existing homes to foreclosures. A large selection gives buyers more choices and drives down prices. And home sellers have gotten the picture.

It's fair to say that home sellers have become "increasingly desperate," Papasan said. "People who have had for-sale signs in the yard for six months are starting to become in tune with the reality of the situation," he said.

Buyers can take advantage, but if you put off a purchase until inventory shrinks substantially, you might not get as good a price, said Eddie Fadel, author of the book "Don't Rent, Buy!" And be forewarned: It's nearly impossible to time the bottom of the housing market and even if you do there's no guarantee you'll make a killing.

"You buy for quality of life ... don't buy on speculation," said Duane Andrews, CEO of Clear Capital. "I wouldn't buy a home expecting the housing market to rebound quickly in the next 10 years," he said, adding that he expects moderate gains in values when the turnaround does happen.

Historically, real estate appreciates about 5 percent a year over the long term, said Nancy Flint-Budde, a Salem, N.Y.-based certified financial planner. But as the country crawls out of a recession, many markets probably won't see huge home-price gains any time soon.

--Builders are offering big discounts. Homebuilders are getting even more aggressive with their pricing. In fact, Fadel recommends looking at completed new homes first because builders are offering such steep discounts. Plus, you'd have a warranty not only on the home itself, but also on the home's appliances, he said.

"(Builders) want to save their credit, save their brand, save their reputation and clear out inventory," Fadel said. "They can go buy cheap land today with that cash."

His advice: Walk in with a preapproval for a mortgage, make an offer, then walk away without making a deal if you have to. Chances are, a builder will call back and reconsider that offer rather than let a potential buyer get away.

--Mortgage rates are historically low. It's not just the price of the home that will affect affordability; mortgage terms will also affect your monthly payments. These days, rates are very attractive for conforming loans, those that can be purchased by mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The limit is $417,000 in most markets.