IMMIGRANTS CHASE AMERICAN DREAM
By Sue Kirchhoff, USA TODAY

Feng shui consultants are helping home builders connect with Asian clients. Home Depot has increased its Hispanic advertising budget. Real estate agents from Pennsylvania to rural Texas are enrolling in classes on cross-cultural marketing.

They're all reaching out to the more than 30 million immigrants in the USA who are an increasingly important factor in the housing market by revitalizing inner cities, changing the texture of suburbs and propelling subtle changes in home design.

Higher-than-expected immigration, both legal and illegal, is a major reason some economists expect the housing market to stay strong as mortgage rates rise from their lowest level in decades and the baby boomers begin retiring, putting homes on the market.

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