Readers suggested a topic on the housing downturn and people you know. "This weekend I would really love to see a thread that gives anecdotal details of how J6P is really holding up. Being isolated on this island and not living in the real world makes it very hard for me to sometimes understand what is going on in the real world. I live 3 blocks from Wall Street, for god’s sake. How much further removed can you get from reality?"

"I see some signs of reality kicking in. One co-worker has a house destroying his finances. Another co-worker has a house languishing for sale in Westchester. Another co-worker bought last year in Jersey for a ridiculous amount and just can’t believe that prices will go down."

"If we get a weekend thread on 'The Trials and Tribulations of Joe Six Pack and Sally Silicon' I might be able to find more to share. I hope you can too. Reality is in such short supply here."

One posted, "Neighbor and co worker who is renter - 7 yrs, great tenant, just got a notice from idiot landlord who says he is raising rent to 1600 and this summer to 1750. Meanwhile all the real estate agents are telling clients to NOT raise rents, too much on the market to be had, and much much newer. What is this idiot landlord thinking? Palm Springs, CA."

And another, "I was just at a playgroup with my two year old. We all chip in a dollar and rent space from a local church for a few hours once a week."

"I noticed two things that were different than usual. One, there was a father there with his kids, usually it’s all women. He looked/talked/dressed like a white collar worker, the sort of guy who’d be at work on a Friday morning. I remember seeing more Dads at my older son’s playgroup back in 2001-2002 too. Also, the box where we put the money had a lot of quarters in it, meaning several people paid with change."

"My brother works in a supermarket and he said he’s noticed more people using coins to pay for their purchases too."

"I noticed a few dads at the YMCA playroom too, although I haven’t been there in recent weeks. Finally, in the past two weeks, I’ve met two more people in my town who are renting sfh. Renting: All the cool kids are doing it."

One added, "Interesting…As a matter of fact, I did notice more dads at our most recent playgroup. Will keep an eye on it to see if it’s a trend."

One from Georgia. "My neighborhood in north Atlanta is a mix of boomer & older affluent and apartment dweller section 8ers. The easiest way to tell what is going on in the hood is at the local grocery stores."

"Today the Kroger was almost empty. There were a few section 8ers in the store & most were staring at the food like kids looking at puppies in a pet shop window, with very liitle in their hand held baskets. It seemed that most of them were also having to make weighty decisions about what they could in fact buy."

"In the check out line I was behind an elderly affluent lady who berated the store clerk when her total came to over $100. The old lady said it was 'too much money for not much food.'"

"The street we live on is one of the few middle class townhouse developments in the area. This week one of our neighbors came home & saw a roaring fire burning in the fireplace of the vacant unit next to him (don’t know if it a foreclosure). The neighbor called the fire department. When the fire department arrived, a squatter was discovered living there."

One from California. "San Diego County: 1. A realtor we’ve used on a few transactions quit RE and started working for an atty. She’s been in the business for over 10 years."

"2. Another realtor we’ve used (Central Valley, CA) told me that things basically stopped dead just after summer, and they are having a very rough go of it."

"3. We know at least two people who’ve been laid-off in the mortgage business. A couple more who are looking for other work in a non-related field before pulling the plug."

"4. Another couple of people we know in the construction industry are picking up other jobs, not in construction field."

"5. Almost everybody we know who’s bought a house, or cash-out HELOC’ed, is living paycheck-to-paycheck. They openly talk about how stressed they are about finances."

"6. We know one family that lost two homes to foreclosure. Both parents were in the RE business. (Quite frankly, they deserved it, and don’t even seem bothered by it.)"

"7. The sportfishing industry in So Cal has been slower over the past year — and seems to have slowed down even more over the past few months. Also, there’s been a rather significant uptick in tackle/gear/boats for sale."

"8. When people find out we’ve sold property (three transactions, a fourth in escrow pending some legal work) over the past six months, they ask in amazement how we did it so fast (all in escrow within 30 days). They still seem to miss the connection between lowering the price & selling.(????) They ask if we had to 'give it away.' (not kidding, their words) A couple of these people have asked because they’ve been trying to sell their homes (on and off the market, over and over and over, again) and 'just can’t seem to find the right buyer.' [rolls eyes]"

"9. Best of all…whenever someone discovers we’re renting, they say, 'Wow! you are soooo lucky/smart!' Totally different responses than what we got a few years ago, by far."