[originaltext]M: Is this the time to get that great new job? Is this the time t

M: Is this the time to get that great new job? Is this the time to sell or buy a new home? Well our financial contributor Mellody Hobson has consulted all the experts including herself and she’s got some answers this morning, Mellody, Good morning.
W: Good morning.
M: All right, houses. Is it the time to buy or sell a house?
W: Well, actually, housing looks like it’s going to be a bust. The housing sales for this month were down 1.7%. That’s the second month in a row. And the markets headed for a correction or a drop in prices. And it’s important to know that mortgage rates have been up, so that’s one of the big reasons that it’s slowing down buying. And on top of that the other big indicator mortgage applications are down. Actually last week mortgage applications hit a three-and-a-half-year low. So what does all this mean? If you are a buyer, I think you are gonna find some bargains out there.
M: Ok! It is puzzled to both then by the middle of the year you really find bargains. All right, your jobs, is this gonna be the year to look for a new job because they’re gonna be available or is this a year in which more people again will get laid off.
W: This is good news on the job front, in November 215,000 jobs were added, that’s up from 44,000 in October. December looks good. Companies out there say they’re planning to hire in the first quarter of this year and there are still jobs shortages in certain areas like finance, health care and construction.
M: Great to get some optimistic news. All right, Mellody, thanks again and have a great weekend.