March showing job growth

The Employment Security Department is reporting a slight rise in the jobless rate for March. Presumably some of these jobs are temporary census jobs. (Employing census workers contributed to a huge jump in employment numbers nationwide.) Nevertheless, it's still good news.

From the press release:

March job gains marked the second time in three months the state has posted positive job numbers. That’s on the heels of 13 consecutive months of job losses stretching from the end of 2008 to the end of 2009.

In addition, mortgage delinquencies fell in March for the second month. (Hat tip: Wall Street Journal (requires subscription).)

For some commentary on this data, try Barbara Kiviat's post at TIME.

Three Things You Can Do With the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit

1. Talk to your parents about selling their house. If (you or) your folks, like many of ours, have owned their home for years and years, they are in a unique situation to sell, actually make a profit and still find another house at a great price.

2. Stop sweating over that short sale. Are you one of the thousands of buyers taking advantage of the tax credit and trying to get your short sale closed? You aren't alone! Now you don't have to worry about getting it closed before December 1.

3. Buy. These tax credits are sweet, but they won't last forever. It's hard to imagine a better time to buy. When you're at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but up.