The typical slow down that we see during the holiday period isn’t quite as slow as normal. The reason for this is rising mortgage rates. Even though rates on both fixed rate and adjustable mortgages are going up, they still remain pretty low by historical standards. We’ve become spoiled over the past 12-18 months with incredibly low interest rates. However, now that we see those rates climbing up to the 6.5% level for 30 year fixed loans, people are shuffling to lock in rates. Mortgage experts still aren’t sure which direction rates are trending, but the 6.5% rate instead of the sub 5.5% of recent months is causing people to go out and buy homes just because they are afraid the rates are going to continue to rise. I’m not saying that people are buying homes just to get a good interest rate, but if someone is considering buying now or maybe waiting until spring (a common dilema) the rise in rates is pushing them to buy now versus later.