Improvement in the home remodeling industry has brought in more employment opportunities for the people in the U.S. According to the initial data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, number of people employed in the home remodeling industry rose by 5.8 percent to reach 250,700, in one year – from December 2010 to December 2011. This growth in home remodeling employment is the highest since December 2006, when the real estate industry in the U.S. doomed. Currently, home remodeling employment accounts for about 5 percent of total jobs in the construction industry.

A significant 5 percent rise in the sale of the existing homes has been recorded at the end of December 2011 alone. As the new owners of the home stress on spending for improvement of their new homes, home remodeling industry has got a kick-in.

Strengthening of the home remodeling industry is also evident from the increasing revenue of the market players. Companies such as Home Depot Inc., Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc. and Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. are experiencing increase in their sales revenue. With the recovering economy, increasing consumer confidence, and decreasing jobless rates in the US, optimism for the intensification of the home remodeling industry certainly holds.

Jonathan Gray, who is attributed the credit for making the Blackstone group world leaders in private equity real estate investment, has been elevated to the group's board on Friday. This comes at a time when Blackstone's real estate fund raising is set to cross a new record. The figures have already crossed $10 billion and in all likelihood may surpass $12 billion by February next year. Previously too, Blackstone had set a record when its private equity real estate fund collected $10.9 billion.
Blackstone is active in every commercial sphere of real estate right from warehouses and centers of distribution, to offices, shopping malls and hotels. The company's profits have got a boost through its real estate fund raising, especially at a time when investment in private equity is going through a dull phase. Competitors have also started following in the steps of the real estate company.
As per the December quarter reports, real estate has made a contribution of $1 billion to the firm's total net income of $1.4 billion when its real estate assets are only 25 percent of total assets.
In an atmosphere where there is hardly any appetite for private equity real estate investment, the firm's fund raising efforts have been very commendable.
Gray's addition to the Board makes him the eight and also the youngest entrant at 42, opening a possibility for him to be a likely candidate for the top post.

The Bank of Canada has cautioned home owners of serious mortgage issues in the future if value of homes start to fall. Warnings from economists over the past few months have indicated that Canada is in the midst of a bubble with housing prices having doubly increased in the last five years. As a result housing has become unaffordable for many people in the working class as well as professionals.
According to the Bank of Canada, mortgage indebtedness is rising in Canadian households. As a result it will come as quite a shock to house owners if house values start to fall. A fall in housing price would escalate problems in the mortgage of properties and will have a serious impact on the Canadian economy. However the bank confirms that other countries have even more serious mortgage issues as compared to Canada and things are relatively in moderation in the Canadian housing sector. Reason being banks have been offering credit against mortgage on easy terms and at low rates of interest to the tune of 3 percent. The mortgage loan to residual income ratio has risen by 100 percent from half of what it is now over the last 30 years.