Hedge Your House

"Starting today, a futures market called HedgeStreet.com, a U.S. government-designated online financial market, is offering home owners the opportunity to protect themselves against the uncertainties of the red-hot housing market.

The new service from HedgeStreet lets investors bet on the direction of home prices in six U.S. markets — Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego and San Francisco. The idea is to hedge against a housing bubble bursting, which in many of the nation’s hottest housing markets would likely lead to a sudden drop in house prices."