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Typically in a news cast, there is only time to give a gloomy report. That is especially true of the housing market these days. According to recent reports, construction of new homes has plunged by the largest amount since 1990. The housing market is having a lot of problems because of rising listings and falling sales. In Nevada, the sales decline is up 27 percent. In parts of California, it’s up about 50 percent year after year. The condo market is even worse in many parts of the country. This could pose potentially dire consequences for people who own and great opportunities for those who’d like to buy. In the Washington D.C. area alone, the current inventory of condominiums would take until 2011 to sell off if no more complexes are built. So, if you’re in the market for a condo, you could get a great deal before 2007 is over. And, if you’re a renter, some of the condos that were converted from apartments are going to be converted back to apartments. Also, involuntary landlords are offering rock bottom rents because they don’t want to be in their current position.

Dell Computer continues to take it on the chin. The company now faces a lawsuit from the state of New York for cheating people on rebates and financing offers. New York alleges that Dell conspired to cheat people in those areas, and Clark has received a lot of calls to that effect. People were expecting some kind of rebate or service and Dell failed them over and over. Dell vigorously disputes the charges. But the bottom line is that you’re going to be in trouble if you buy a Dell, dude. Consumer Reports recently rated which computer companies are best in support after the sale. No one was even close to Apple. The company got a top rating in all categories. The worst rating went to Compaq in all categories. Dell got a poor rating on average wait time and a fair rating on solving problems. But calls to Clark’s show tell a different story. So, which computers break the most and which break the least? In desktops, Apple computers break the least while Gateway breaks the most. In laptops, there was a five-way tie for worst between Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, HP and Apple. That’s right. Apple did not do well with laptops, a category where Sony got the best rating.

Clark used to be a big fan of arbitration. But over the years, he’s completely changed his opinion, especially in the case of mandatory arbitration. Mandatory arbitration is something big corporations now cram down the throat of customers. Basically, they’re saying that if you’re going to do business with us, you must go through our arbitration system if you have a dispute. But that system is always stacked in favor of the company and against the consumer. One example of this is going on in the stock brokerage business with full-commissioned brokers. Statistics show that people who enter into arbitration with either Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley or Smith Barney, you will get only 10 percent of your money back. Consumers win “partial money” 4 out of 10 times. The good news is that now there is a move in Congress to outlaw mandatory arbitration. With voluntary arbitration, the companies would have a reason to make the process fairer. The best advice is to never do business with a full-commissioned stock broker.

Real estate agents are terrified these days. The Internet – and the discount Web sites that have succeeded on it – has decimated the industry. And, now it’s a civil war; agents against agents. Traditional agents want to keep commissions fixed. Some have even tried to get legislatures to pass price-fixing laws. Other agents realize that the marketplace is going to win out so they’re offering full service a lower commissions. There are also several great sites offering a menu of services based on how much help you want. A new example Clark just learned about is the site redfin.com. There is a very limited menu and it’s only available in certain areas, but word about this company is spreading like wildfire. One controversial area of the site is the review area, where people who’ve looked at houses can then rate them. The company is in a lawsuit right now over these postings and has taken them down for now. But people crave that kind of knowledge and the idea of a more open market.