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The list of housing markets showing measurable and sustained improvement held virtually unchanged in May at 100, down from 101 in April, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). The number of states represented on the list also held firm from the previous month, at 35 (including the District of Columbia). 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. While 83 metros held onto their previous places on the IMI and 17 new ones were added to the list in May, 18 metros dropped from the list, for a net loss of one.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently released the April edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard— a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market.

(MCT)—Hiring continued its slow pace in April as employers added a modest 115,000 jobs to their payrolls, providing more evidence that the economy has lost some momentum from early this year. The jobless rate inched down to 8.1 percent last month, the Labor Department said Friday, but that wasn’t because more people were employed. Rather, the rate fell as more workers dropped out of the labor force. The April jobs report was highly anticipated because job growth slowed sharply in March after three strong winter months of payroll gains averaging 252,000. Labor officials Friday revised job growth upward in March to 154,000 from 120,000 previously reported, but that didn’t change the overall picture:

Selling a home can be a daunting undertaking, and while you may be helpless to control the state of the market or the number of prospective buyers in your price range, here are a few ways to be proactive against some of sellers' most common pitfalls:

More consumers may be looking to purchase homes with a shift in several key housing market indicators, according to Fannie Mae’s March 2012 consumer attitudinal National Housing Survey. More Americans now expect both home rental and home purchase prices

Clear Capital®, a provider of data and real estate asset valuation, investment and risk assessment, recently released its Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report with data through April 2012.

Greg Rand (@GSRand), CEO of OwnAmerica.com, discusses the downward trend in homeownership and why he believes it will turn around.

(MCT)—The housing market may be showing flickers of recovery, but don’t count on lenders to make it any easier for borrowers.

Green construction is moving from a niche to the mainstream. The total value of certified green construction worldwide in 2011 is estimated at nearly $70 billion. According to a new research

The Internet makes it easier than ever before to find home improvement inspiration. Social networking sites have taken the place of word of mouth between neighbors, and popular sites like Houzz and Pinterest let users share ideas and opinions on home trends with a seemingly endless social network. "It is impossible to ignore the impact of social media and digital tools on home design trends," says Jeff Kaliner, Power Home Remodeling Group’s Founding Partner. "Whether their motivation is to keep up with the Joneses or to give their home some personality, these sites spark the imagination of homeowners looking to improve their home's appearance — and the sky's the limit when it comes to inspiration."

HomeFinder.com, an online real estate search site, recently released the results of a March 2012 consumer survey of nearly 400 HomeFinder.com users. One of the most significant findings is that almost one out of every two respondents indicated that they are in the market

(MCT)—During the housing boom, a borrower’s ability to exhale appeared to be the chief criterion for obtaining a mortgage. Six years of record foreclosures later, with millions of borrowers owing more than their properties are worth, the housing market continues to tread water.

(MCT)—House hunters frustrated with the market’s supply of homes have shifted their search from the streets to underground. More buyers are targeting homes that haven’t yet hit the market, a trend agents say will grow as inventory shrinks and the mismatch of what’s available and what’s desired continues. Such back-pocket deals used to involve mostly luxury homes where buyers and sellers wanted to keep the sale hush-hush. But lower-priced houses are becoming a bigger part of the mix because even those are in short supply.

The housing industry is staging a recovery with increasing sales and stabilizing prices, according to a national survey of RE/MAX agents. Four out of five agents believe U.S. home prices won’t decline further. In fact, nearly 70 percent predict prices will go up,

Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 7.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 328,000 units in March from an upwardly revised, robust pace of 353,000 units in February, according to newly released figures from HUD and the U.S. Commerce Department.