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Fiscal policy issues and political economic uncertainty will take center stage in determining the degree of consumer and business activity—key drivers of economic growth—during 2012, according to Fannie Mae’s (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. The forthcoming presidential election, potential expiration of tax provisions for businesses and households, and the ongoing healthcare debate are among the uncertainties expected to keep the economy moving at a moderate pace with growth of 2.3 percent expected for the year. Moreover, contagion effects from the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone, which appears to be slipping into recession, are expected to remain as a primary risk to growth in 2012.

Freddie Mac recently released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, showing mortgage rates easing to new all-time record lows for all products covered in the survey helping to keep homebuyer affordability high. The average for the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been below 4.00 percent for six consecutive weeks. The survey concluded that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.89 percent, with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 12, 2012, down from last week when it averaged 3.91 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.71 percent.

Real estate auction activity continues to thrive. In today’s tumultuous economy, both residential and commercial properties are selling in droves via auction. According to PropertyAuction.com, the number of auctions posted on their site has almost doubled in 2011. From January to September, 99,924 residential, commercial and land auctions have been listed. Compare that with 52,404 during the same time period in 2010. And it’s not just foreclosed homes. As CCIM Institute reports, “Auctions are gaining popularity as an effective sales strategy for all types of commercial real estate. For instance, the number of industrial property auctions is increasing as companies divest themselves of surplus space resulting from the volatile economy…even multifamily real estate is garnering record sales prices at auctions as investment yield rates fall and condominium conversions drive up selling prices.”

Total U.S. foreclosure activity and the U.S. foreclosure rate in 2011 were both at their lowest annual level since 2007, according to RealtyTrac®, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. The company recently released its Year-End 2011 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™, which shows a total of 2,698,967 foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 1,887,777 U.S. properties in 2011, a decrease of 34 percent in total properties from 2010. Foreclosure activity in 2011 was 33 percent below the 2009 total and 19 percent below the 2008 total.

The number of housing markets showing measurable improvement nearly doubled in January with the addition of 40 new metros to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). The IMI now boasts 76 improving markets, up from 41 in December, with 31 states and the District of Columbia represented by at least one entry. The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. New entrants to the list in January include the following (listed alphabetically by state):

Home prices this year cease their decline and gain 0.2 percent across all markets as more and more individual markets stabilize in the months to come. However, though national prices will be flat, some 40 percent of the top 50 markets

Rand on Real Estate is now on national television. The Fox Business Network is running a new segment titled, "Where to Invest Now," featuring Greg Rand (@gsrand) , CEO of OwnAmerica (www.OwnAmerica.com), as its housing market analyst making his picks

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will host a media teleconference next week to reveal the results of a national poll of 1,500 likely voters looking at the value Americans place on homeownership. Set to air on Wednesday, January 11 at 1 p.m., ET, the results of the poll indicate that, despite the economic downturn and housing crisis, respondents still consider owning a home an integral part of the American Dream and feel that policymakers need to take active steps to promote homeownership. Results reveal voter attitudes towards key housing issues including the mortgage interest deduction, and how those feelings would translate at the voting booth.

(MCT)—The most Americans in more than 18 months signed contracts in November to buy homes, raising hopes that a boost in sales will follow, NAR reported Thursday.

We have many reasons to be optimistic about housing. Past-due mortgages and foreclosure filings have been trending down in recent months, not to mention inventory is decreasing, interest rates are lower than ever and home prices are stabilizing. But the progress is fragile, and ongoing recovery won’t be helped by unreasonable regulation. The only appropriate focus for legislators is helping families who are struggling right now and doing whatever it takes to keep properties out of the REO market.

The median home price in the U.S. has plunged nearly 40% in a little over five years, but the worst is definitely over, according to a recent report by Kiplinger: The market has finally wrung out the last excess valuations born of the housing bubble. Before you break out the party hats, note that this doesn’t mean prices across the nation are poised to rebound anytime soon. Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital, a provider of real estate data and analytics, said the housing market is in a “suspended state,” with positive and negative factors offsetting one another. But he doesn’t expect another free fall in prices, assuming “things are left to work themselves out and there are no further shocks to the economy.”

Everyone knows that the housing market has been a little daunting for the last several years. Ups and downs, talk of good news and bad news, and a confusing amount of information about rising and falling mortgage rates has rendered the market all but inaccessible for a lot of prospective buyers. Good news! Times are changing. Whether you want to buy a home as your long-term residence or as an income property, things are looking up. Remarkably low mortgage rates are making houses more affordable than they have been in decades.

Freddie Mac recently released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates at or near their all-time lows. The 30-year fixed matched the average all-time record low of 3.94 percent, and a new all-time record low was set for the 15-year fixed,

(MCT)—For years, the housing news in Nevada has been unrelentingly bleak: Nearly 3 in 5 homeowners, and even the state’s attorney general, are underwater on their home loans. In Las Vegas, home prices have tumbled further than in any U.S. metropolitan region.

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a provider of information, analytics and business services, recently released its first-ever Natural Hazard Risk Summary and Analysis, detailing the record-breaking natural disasters that struck the United States in 2011. The report provides an analysis of significant hurricane, wildfire, tornado, flood and earthquake events, as well as a summary of potential risk in 2012 and the implications of unexpected changes in natural hazard frequency, intensity and geographic patterns.