The market for buying and selling houses has been changing. 

"When the market starts to change from a seller's market to a buyer's market, it always has a little halt in the process of moving forward." Realty USA Sales Associate Natasha Rajtar said.  

Experts anticipate a wave of foreclosures by Americans with millions of adjustable-rate mortgages. 

This fall the adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) will be reset, and many homeowners will see their monthly mortgage payments go up by as much as 20%.  This is the highest ever financed mortgage according to the Mortgage Bankers Association where ARMs are 36% financed in 2005. 

WASHINGTON - 30-year mortgage rates fell for the fifth consecutive week as both sales of existing and new homes in July turned down.  This confirms a cooling housing market.

The mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.48 percent this week, down from 6.52 percent last week.  That was the lowest level for 30-year mortgages since they averaged 6.43 percent the week of April 6.

NEW YORK  - Companies providing to Americans’ needs and vices would do better than others despite a fall in US house prices that hurt spending across the board.

  Even though US homeowners feel poorer for the stock of retailers and leisure companies, they will always need to buy groceries, feed their addictions.  So companies selling consumer goods, food, health care, tobacco and alcohol are better placed to weather the impact of a slowing housing sector than others.  "The interesting sectors are ... soaps, suds and cereal," said Don Gher of Bellevue, Washington-based Coldstream Capital Management. "Investors are looking for companies that will deliver even in an economic downturn. And typically those are companies that are aligned with selling the basic products or consumer staples."