While the drumbeat of recession is sounding stronger and stronger, it’s important for people to put things in perspective.

The nation — as a whole — has been enjoying a lucrative housing market for at least the last five years, and in some areas, prices of homes inflated to epic proportions.

What comes up that quick, usually falls just as quickly. That’s the main impetus behind national recession talk.

However, in Oklahoma, we have been somewhat fortunate in that while housing values have increased, they haven’t increased so dramatically a downturn is going to cause the same kind of crisis it has caused in coastal cities and major metropolitan areas.

Also, Oklahoma has done a better job of diversifying its economy. We are enjoying a thriving oil and gas industry, but the state has learned some lessons from the last oil boom and bust. We will experience fluctuations, just like other parts of the country, but the swings haven’t been so wide or dramatic.

When it comes to the housing market in northwest Oklahoma, we fortunately are seeing a trend in increased sales values, at least through 2007. The main markets in northwest Oklahoma have had some double-digit swings in home values over the last couple of years, but things have slowed down some. Still, it appears through 2007, our housing markets have been pretty solid.

We still have some major needs here in Enid and Garfield County. We know we have shortages in moderate-priced, quality housing, somewhere within the $80,000 to $125,000 range. We also know we are seeing some slight job growth that requires we have housing available in these very price ranges.

So, there definitely is opportunity for the positive housing sales trend to continue. That’s good news for Enid and northwest Oklahoma, and hopefully will help cushion recession worries for at least the next three to six months.