Free Republic

The red-hot real estate market shows no sign of cooling, but there could be a cloud on the horizon. The shortage of a humble but irreplaceable material could slow the growth of new housing. In parts of the Pacific Northwest, for instance, there's not nearly enough cement, 15% less than last year even as demand has climbed by 30%. "It's definitely affected our bottom line," says Dave Bertsch, president of Champion Concrete Pumping. "If it continues, we're going to have some layoffs. We are going to have to liquidate some equipment. It's a domino effect."