I will be taking the two-day Earth Advantage Institute's two-day training course beginning tomorrow. S.T.A.R.--Sustainability Training for Accredited Real estate professionals--teaches participants about levels of "green" certification, such as Energy Star, Earth Advantage and LEED.  Find out more at Terradigm.

Over at the Mortgage Rescue Cafe, it looks like the loan modification programs are having a positive effect. It's still too soon to tell, in my view, because too few of the modifications lenders have offered are not permanent. If and when they become so, I'll reassess things.

And I continue to believe that until a formula for writing down principal balances is derived, underwater home owners who are behind in their mortgage payments will not see real relief.

And--how's biz? February sales are up in Portland Metro, but prices are down. Doesn't mean a lot, because so much of the activity is from first-timers taking advantage of the tax credit and low interest rates. They buy lower-priced homes, which weights the average. The activity itself may be speeded up, with people who would have otherwise waited trying to buy now.

Still, let's take what we can get.