Innovation needs the right stage, but how will that be set in 2017? Leaders are paying close attention to the various influences on product and process development ahead of us.

No one can say with certainty. But in the January 2017 Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI), the net share of Americans who say it is a good time to buy a house rose by two percentage points to 32 percent. And the net share of Americans who said they are not concerned about losing their job rose four percentage points to 68 percent.

Plus, builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes is at its highest level since July 2005, according to last month’s National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

But, what do others in the industry predict?

We surveyed economists, mortgage experts, and media voices about their expectations for the housing market in 2017.

  • Rental demand stays high, but may normalize
  • Regulation shifting from the federal to state level.
  • Rising interest rates could impact sales, but not prices.
  • New policies could 'juice up the economy.'
  • Hispanics worry about deportation talk and homeownership.
  • Shortage of starter homes will characterize 2017.
  • Rising interest rates could galvanize fence-sitters.

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