Morgan Finke
Published: October 15, 2008

DUBUQUE- Forklifts, paintbrushes, and sheetrock have all become very familiar items for independent home renovator Julie Lott.

“My husband and I we do this we’ve been doing it for probably the last 10 years we done work in the west 11th historic district which is where we are now,” said Lott.

Julie does it because she loves it.

“It’s nice when people work in the historic districts to preserve the old houses and keep the historic look of them, it’s important for the country,” said Lott.

But with a housing market that is on the rocks, how steady is Julie’s business?

“People are scared to make any moves and i definitely see a slow up,” adds Lott.

Real Estate agent Peggie Nesler says that Dubuque should rest easy for now.

“They keep talking about the market crash, and it isn’t as bad as it is in other areas in the country,” said Nesler.

But Julie believes that lucky streak might be coming to an end

“The housing market was holding its own for a while but you’re definitely seeing the trickling effect of the economy,” said Lott.

Regardless of what the current situation might be, Julie hopes that history will repeat itself.

“After the election, things usually pick up better. Overall, people are kind of scared and they want to see who is getting elected. They want to hear good things,” said Lott.

Morgan Finke can be reached at Morgan.Finke@lctv13.com