If 2005 was the Chinese year of the rooster, the real estate industry had plenty to crow about.

Defying expectations of a cooling market, both new and existing home sales soared to new records, although official tallies aren't in yet. Instead, it was the American year of the bubble.

Real estate experts agreed at the beginning of 2005 that too much of a good thing has to end -- a four-year housing boom, with bubblettes forming in some coastal towns. Long-term interest rates rose a full point, but surprised nearly everyone when the unexpected happened -- the inverted yield curve. For brief periods following Christmas day, long-term interest rates were actually cheaper than short-term, a phenomenon that threw the stock market into a temporary tizzy and caused economists to speculate that 2006 might end in a mild recession.

With nowhere else to put their money and lower interest rates, homebuyers might continue to buy, possibly taking housing to a unprecedented six-year record, particularly if interest rates remain flat or go lower. They have plenty of incentive. Despite slowing sales and rising inventories in many areas, home prices haven't come down and will likely surge ahead another six percent or higher for the year.

On that happy note for the real estate industry, here's a look at some of the amusing, confounding, and shocking events of 2005.

Worst Data Security Breach -- TransUnion LLC

According to news reports, social security numbers and other information affecting more than 3,000 consumers were stolen from TransUnion LLC in November. Strangely, the information was stored not on a secure corporate network but an individual computer at a regional office.

As one of three anointed credit reporting bureaus, including Experian North America Inc, and Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc, TransUnion maintains credit histories on individuals to share with businesses that are hiring, rental companies who are checking on applicants, and lenders who are lending. Their second stream of income, besides charging consumers for reports that are inaccurate two out of five times, is selling data about consumers.

Sweet.

The It's-About-Time Award -- Free credit file reports as of 2006, courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission

In a rare effort to protect consumers, the FTC decided that it wasn't fair that consumers have to pay to get copies of their credit reports all the time, so they forced the three credit bureaus to provide a means to consumers to access their credit files one time a year. Consumers can go to Annual Credit Report and sign up for one free report annually. Don't be fooled into accepting one report. Insist that you get all three.

The kicker is you have to provide your social security number to get the report. Here's hoping that Congress will pass a bill mandating credit reporting bureaus to notify their, ahem, customers whenever there is a security breach.

If they find an error, consumers still have a tough road. They have the fun of getting all three bureaus to change the incorrect data. The trio already has a license to kill credit scores through their unchecked policies of not changing errors until consumers kick and scream, so with no government mandate to make them change their evil ways, consumers will continue to be shafted through their files and their credit scores. Consumers still have to pay to see their credit scores which are partially composed of a complex mathematical formula involving their credit files, among other undisclosed data.

What we wish they'd do: Allow consumers to see how their credit scores are tabulated and let them see their scores for free once a year. That way they can complain eloquently when they find out why their scores are different on all three bureaus' reports.

The Rocky-Mountain-High Award -- Denver Gives New Meaning To Mile High City

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but what does an ounce of marijuana do? Denver residents have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of the weed because enforcement causes more problems than it cures.

Mayor John Hickenlooper, owner of a popular local beer pub, opposed the measure.

For pot-smokers, there are still state and federal laws to consider. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.

So the upshot is watch out for the Feds, but the city cops will leave you alone.

Best Potty Break Story -- Chrysler-Daimler

With carmakers leading layoffs for 2005 and 2006, it seems appropriate to include what the Big Three are really worried about -- workers taking too much time in the bathroom.

CNN found a blog by Jason Vines, vice president of communications for the North American division of DaimlerChrysler (Research) (NAR's former VIP partner) that the automaker doesn't plan to monitor workers' bathroom breaks (46 minutes), like rival Ford (48 minutes.) Vines said that U.S. plants of Japanese automakers allow only 30 minutes per shift in the bathroom.

So that's how they make those whizz-bang little cars.

The Kiss-and-Make-Up Award - Realtor.com

After launching a website called Shafting Realtors, outlining numerous grievances against Realtor.com, site owners Russell and Wendy Shaw paid a visit to their nemesis, only to be charmed by president Allan Dalton. "I am delighted to report that virtually all of my grievances were addressed and fully handled," writes Shaw. "I would be remiss if I did not go way out of my way to thank and publicly acknowledge Allan Dalton (the President of REALTOR.COM) for his helpful marketing genius and his handling of the situation.  A lesser man would not have been so willing to tackle the issues directly as Allan did."

A-Reference-We-Coulda-Done-Without Award -- Realtors follow pornographers into podcasting

We hope this journalist didn't write this story with "first-hand" experience, but in this new Quentin Tarantino world of sleaze-is-cool, even journalists are getting into using porno-journo to titillate readers.

When a la mode introduced it's new "propertycast" technology, UPI reporter Ryan Holeywell opened his coverage Oct. 19, 2005 of the story "Realtors join podcasting craze" with a zinger. "Rock bands use them. Pornographers have made them too. Even politicians and governments are joining the craze. So while it may seem unusual at first, it's really only logical that Realtors may be the latest group joining the podcasting craze."

A la mode Inc., which provides Web tools to realty agents, appraisers and lenders, launched the first "propertycast" technology, allowing Realtors to develop podcasts that contain information about homes for sale.

"Podcasting -- a hybrid term from the MP3 player "iPod" and "broadcasting" -- allows users to download audio files on a regular basis to either their desktops or MP3 players. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication technology, is used to send podcasts to users," writes Holeywell. "Listeners can use programs called aggregators to automatically check for and download new content, and some aggregators will automatically transfer new content to an MP3 player. The technology became popular late last year."

A user could pick a city he was looking for a home in and then find a real estate agent. "The shopper could then subscribe to that agent's podcast listings, and every time there is a new listing that meets his search criteria, it would automatically be downloaded to his MP3 player," chirps Holeywell.

Uh, okay ... so propertycasting is coming to the real estate industry. Realtors weren't the first to do videos either, but you don't hear them complaining that Porno Valley got there first.

DeLaying Justice Award - Tom Delay in Texas

Republican Tom DeLay stepped down as House Majority Leader last year after being indicted on state money laundering charges, but bending the rules to get his way is a long-ingrained habit. He had already messed with Texas redistricting in order to assure Republicans more seats in Congress. The 2003 boundaries helped Republicans win 21 of the state's 32 seats in the last election -- up from 15, a move that curtailed minority representation.

Because of habitual discrimination against minority voters, Texas is required to get Justice Department approval for any voting changes to ensure they don't harm minority voting, so it was inevitable that there would be a backlash against the redistricting and its "unusual timing." Under the Constitution, states must adjust their congressional district lines every 10 years to account for population shifts, but Texas redrew its boundaries twice following the 2000 census.

DeLay and two others are accused of using his fundraising activities to funnel prohibited corporate funds through the national Republican party to state GOP legislative candidates.

Of the 32 seats in Texas, six delegation members are Hispanic and three are black, although Texas is a majority-minority state.

Wireless Innovations -- Tempe Sets Tempo

Tempe, Arizona, has seen to it that wireless Internet users can get easy access to the city's wireless Internet network at home, at work and in local cafes and parks.

A suburb of Phoenix, Tempe will have wireless Internet available for all of its 160,000 residents in February, becoming the first city of its size in the United States to have Wi-Fi throughout.

Tempe officials hope its policy of low-cost wireless access will attract more technology and biotech companies — and the young, upwardly mobile employees they bring to the city.

Other cities are following suit. Philadelphia is developing a fee-based citywide high-speed system with EarthLink Inc.  Unlike Philly or Tempe, New Orleans is building a free system, though the network speed will be limited.

The Never-Say-Die Award -- Boomers Live Longer Despite Bad Health Habits

Life expectancy has hit another all-time high, 77.6 years, with deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke continuing to drop, says the U.S. government. The bad news is that the self-indulgent Baby Boomer generation hasn't hit the senior tour yet.

Half of Americans 55-to-64 which includes only the oldest of the baby boomers, have high blood pressure, and two in five are obese. That means they are in worse shape in some respects than Americans born a decade earlier were when they were that age.

The "I've-Fallen-and-I-Can't-Giddyup" Award

Just in time for aging boomers and seniors, crafty technology companies are gearing up for oldsters instead of youngsters.

Among technologies designed to "help seniors and their families live happy and healthy in their own home,” according to Eric Dishman, chairman of the Center for Aging Services Technologies, or CAST, and general manager and global director of Intel Health Research and Innovation Group.screen, computer monitors that sit next to the phone will help us all remember who the other person is on the other end of the phone. Using caller ID technology, the screen can provide a photo of the caller, tell who they are and when they last talked.

Health Watch also has a medicine cabinet that can be programmed to keep track of what medicine it holds and when they should be taken. To prevent wayward grandchildren from pilfering the meds, a built-on camera scans the face of the person at the cabinet and a voice reminds them that it’s time to take a pill. If the wrong bottle is chosen, the voice warns of the error. It even comes with a blood pressure cuff connected to a scale, so it can collect weight and pressure data and e-mail the information to a physician or caregiver.

Not to be outdone, floor sensors developed by the Medical Automation Research Center at the University of Virginia track the movement of a senior. They can recognize changes in gait and detect a fall and call a caregiver for help. Virginia’s team also developed a bed that senses breathing rate and pulse and can also call a caregiver or physician for help.

Funniest Christmas Card -- Taylor Johnson, a real estate marketing firm:

The Top 10 Real Estate Bubble Stories Overlooked in 2005

1. Dip in housing prices reported after Greenspan orders "frothy latte" at DC-area Starbucks.
2. Wigley Co.'s new bubble gum flavor -- looks like an office building, smells like condos.
3. Dismissing concerns over slowing home sales, Commerce Dept. predicted last March that bubble burst was as likely as a White Sox World Series victory.
4. Hubba Bubba outbids Bubblicious for naming rights to the National Apartment Association's Bubble Burst Bash.
5. California, Las Vegas and Miami seceded from the U.S. to form their own country, Bubblandia, where housing prices will never, ever, ever go down.
6. Mayor Daley reconsiders preference for spires atop tall buildings after research indicates antennae could prick outer reaches of Chicago's condo bubble.
7. NBC woos John Travolta to save struggling Thursday night line-up with Boy in the Plastic Housing Bubble. The comedy stars Travolta as a Miami Realtor.
8. The "Drill Bit" couldn't burst it. The "Tweezers" couldn't burst it. But developer's plans for giant "Toe Nail Clippers" in Streeterville have bubble-watchers nervous.
9. President Bush shrugs off prospect of a drop in housing prices, saying, "Who cares? The White House is a rental and I've got three years left on my lease."
10. Forget the Housing Bubble. Millennium Park condo speculators fear Housing Bean!

The Now-I-Can-Die-Happy Award

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to eliminate the federal estate tax, often referred to as the death tax, in 2010 and thereafter. It still must be voted on by the U.S. Senate, but is likely to pass.

If they'd only vote to increase tax benefits we could enjoy while we're still alive.

Realty Times TV Celebrates Anniversary

Realty Times TV is a tool for Realtors to blow their sellers away. Listing presentations will never be the same when you can say, "I'll put your home on TV." You can show them your commercials for other homes you've listed on your laptop, and you'll get the listing. In addition to the television show, the commercials run online on our site and our partners' sites for the life of the listing. And they're affordable!

Realty Times TV has a reach of 25 million households, 40 million viewers on the DirecTV and the Dish Satellite networks. The show is national in nature and is aired from coast to coast. In additional to current real estate news, advice and local market conditions, there are over 200 listings aired every weekend represented by real estate agents throughout the United States. Agents are renewing or adding new listings due to the show's WOW effect on sellers.

Host Eric Sean's news anchor-quality presentation doesn't hurt, either. He's helped turned the show into a news and information-based homes show, and has been compared to every boy-next-door heartthrob from Van Johnson to Justin Timberlake. Recently, he was mobbed at an airport. Now he wants a raise.

Shameless plug, yes, but do we deserve it? You bet. Show us another listing tool half as cool. Or easy to use.

From Realty Times to you, may the only bubbles you see this New Year be in your champagne!

Published: January 3, 2006

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.