With all the IBM talk locally and the dour economic news nationally, it can be hard to guess which way local housing prices will go. Take a second to answer this poll and we’ll see what readers of River Banks to Corn Fields think…
[poll id="2"]
As with any post, your comments and questions are encouraged…
UPDATE (2/5/09 @ 1:00PM CST) The poll is now closed and it seems the consensus is that the Dubuque market will stay about the same, with a couple folks believing will go up slightly, and a few believing it will fall back slightly.
Personally, I’m in the Up a Bit column. The IBM thing is great and will definitely impact the local market, but the drag being felt by national economic conditions will hold us back a little further that we normally could expect with a project as big as IBM coming to Dubuque.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
We are all happy to see IBM coming to Dubuque, but will they follow suit eventually here as they are doing in other parts of the US right now, where they are laying people off. If this is just a “pit stop” will it really be something good for our community? I hope that this is not the case and they are here to stay and bring more and more jobs to Dubuque. There are so many people losing there jobs here, at least it gives some hope!
Not knowing the exacting details of the incentive package, which IBM would not be here without, I believe it includes certain timeframes that they are held accountable to, such as a ten year committment to the Dubuque area. Did IBM layoff a number of folks at other locations in recent weeks? Yes. Are they shifting work from non-incentivised locations to ones that doe promise incentives? Maybe. Those layoffs could be for other product and/or service lines that aren’t doing so well for IBM right now.
It’s part of the game many states, cities, and local communities seem to be taking part in. Some of it not exactly what one would call a fair deal in some cases. On the surface, and I know it’s early, this project seems to be on the up and up. But only time will tell that for sure.
Thanks for commenting, I very much appreciate it!