What Real Estate Agents Are Saying About The Housing Market

Inside Mortgage Finance sponsored a nationwide survey of 1,556 real-estate agents in mid-June. The responses are largely anecdotal, but they're still interesting. They also support several key themes in the housing market:

• The low end of the market--driven by foreclosures, first-time buyers, and investors--is cranking. Prices have fallen to the point where buying is often cheaper than renting, and the government's $8,000 first-time-homebuyer gift is helping many people jump in. Investors are also leaping in--either flipping houses bought at auction or planning to rent for a few years and then sell. Prices are low, but velocity is high. more . . .