Putin says ideally the government would get mortgage rates down to 7 percent.
Speaking to Putin via video link, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov says that "all measures will be taken to reduce the mortgage interest rate," adding that the current average rate is 9.73 percent.
On to mortgages. In a report from the home of a family with three children, the father tells Putin that the fine print in a government decree prevented them from getting a mortgage-interest reduction for multi-child families. Putin answers: "What can I say? You're right."
Putin says he's disappointed in the Finance Ministry over this bureaucratic hiccup and vows that the government will fix it.
Construction official on video link says government as of next year will stop financing the type of "pyramid" projects that have angered the so-called "defrauded co-investors" and introduce other measures to boost residential construction.
This Internet wag speculates that the Russian secret services are collecting the phone numbers of people sending in critical messages and preparing a purge like the one under Stalin in 1937.
"Aren't you tired of being president yet?" (And what is with the Komsomol or Young Pioneer red scarves?)
Now moving on to the subject of "defrauded home investors" -- people who buy apartments in yet-to-be-built housing complexes. This issue has sparked sporadic protests in various parts of Russia over the past decade or so.
Putin says the government is paying attention to the issue, but says the problem is broader, adding that government oversight has been too lax. He says governors have a great responsibility for the housing issue.
The most interesting stuff is happening in the background, like last year.
"Tell the people what is the use for them of the elites and super-rich managers and bureaucrats?"
Medical researchers now telling Putin that it takes too long to get government approval for technological advances. Putin says he knows there are problems with certification. He says a medical device demonstrated by one of the researchers needed to undergo testing first but congratulates him on developing the device, offers support.