While the sluggish U.S. economy crept upward in 2012, the housing market improved at a much faster rate than anyone expected. Total home sales increased 6.3 percent in 2012, the largest increase since 2006. Overall, 4.2 million homes sold – inching closer to the average of 5.5 million a year the country experienced before the
Housing a Sweet Spot for U.S. Economy as Recovery Expands
Housing a Sweet Spot for U.S. Economy as Recovery Expands David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Housing starts, including single- and multifamily units, are expected to increase 24 percent to 967,000 in 2013 and sales of new single-family homes are expected to rise 22 percent to 450,000. At Lambert Ranch, an Irvine, California, housing development where