business and economy

A number of factors go into setting a sale price and they aren't all location, location, location. Sellers consider improvements they've made, the original purchase price and how much profit they want -- or need -- to make. The market may say something else. Here are some of the factors that set a house price:

It's time for a confession: Every time a neighbor puts up a For Sale sign with an information tube, we're one of the first to pull a flier.

It's not that we're looking for homes for sale, we just want to see how much the neighbors are asking. Given expertise gained from too much time spent on Zillow.com, the real estate site, we feel we have a good idea what the price should be.

After an American soldier died in Iraq five years ago, his father wanted to save copies of his son's e-mails sent through a Yahoo! account. But the Internet company's privacy policy allowed access by only the soldier, triggering a legal fight.

How is this for positive news -- all this week, newspapers were reporting things like:

Recession over?

Recovery in progress, some say.

I couldn't believe my eyes! Good news for a change, but then in the next breath, the stories continued with lines like:

Unemployment rate higher than the Great Depression.

Adrian Peterson is putting his money where his mouth is.

The Vikings star running back is among the top current and former athletes, including Brett Hull and Marian Gaborik, who are backing what could become the hottest Minnesota innovation for pro sports since the Breathe Right strip.

The job market is undeniably challenging, but there are some bright spots, according to research conducted by Robert Half International for its 2010 Salary Guides. In accounting, professionals who specialize in tax and compliance are in demand, for example.

The National Retail Federation is moving to get out ahead of the anticipated frenzy of Black Friday shopping by issuing guidelines to help retailers deal with crowd-control issues.

Dear Debt Adviser,

Please explain how to use "payment for deletion," or PFD. My grandson can now pay off his debts with a collection agency for the full amount. How can he make sure the collection agency will send a PFD letter to the credit bureaus so his credit report looks good again?

-- Julie

Dear Grandma Julie,

If you're hoping to pad your wallet by getting a part-time job for the holidays, good luck. Retailers are planning a conservative little Christmas when it comes to hiring seasonal workers.

Southways, a 13-acre former Pillsbury estate on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota that stalled while listed on the market at more than $50 million, is now being offered for sale at auction.