Look!  Up in the sky!  It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … missile?  Earlier this week, an unidentified projectile off the coast of California had Pentagon officials scratching their heads as to what it was. It was likely an optical illusion created by an airplane and not a missile as some feared.  What does it look like to you?

Meanwhile, the foreclosure predicament is certainly no illusion and it has prompted some struggling homeowners to go to extremes to make sure the issue remains top of mind.  In a break from the bad news, home seizures did fall nine percent in October.

NAR released its Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey which provided great insight into these groups.  Among the results, first time home buyers, who accounted for half of homes purchased in the reporting year, plan to stay in their homes for a median of ten years, longer than before.  Further, 27 percent of the same group received a gift from friends or family to help with the down payment.  Lastly, music to my ears: the majority of American homebuyers still think they are making a smart move financially.

Are parents heading back to college?  Not quite, but there is a growing trend in college towns across the country of parent investors buying property to save on their child’s room and board.  Topping the list of the most affordable college towns is Munci, Indiana– home of Ball State University.

You’ve probably heard of a houseboat, but have you ever heard of an apartment boat?  Enter the Floating  Studio Flat, a one bedroom apartment that floats on inland waterways. Innovative!

While we are on the subject of floating, the Carnival cruise ship that was stranded in the Pacific due to an electrical fire is safely ashore!  It is just a hunch, but I bet that the passengers will stay away from Spam for a while.

Are you a lover of chocolate?  Consider yourself forewarned:  Consumption is increasing faster than cocoa production and prices will likely increase substantially over the next two decades to caviar levels. Valentine’s Day may never be the same!