2013 housing market growth will be slow but steady

The housing market is predicted to grow steadily in 2013, but not quickly. And problems in the housing market still challenge growth, according to National Mortgage Professional magazine.

Among the challenges are tight lending standards, inaccurate appraisals and proposals. Despite these, some areas of the housing market are back to the benchmark of normal — a mark made by the 2000-2002 period.

Owner-occupied remodeling is one of the back-to-normal areas. Part of this is due to increased consumer confidence, which grows as the rate of new households increases as well.

In 2013, single-family home sales are expected to rise 20 percent, which would mean an increase from 307,000 homes to 367,000, but it has the furthest to go, said David Crowe, the chief economist for the Nation Association of Home Builders. It is currently only at 40 percent of a normal market, he says.

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