The housing market has impacted jobs, the economy, and household wealth –– and now, demographics.

Davenport, Iowa, and Fort Collins, Colo., are among the 30 housing markets to make NAHB/First American’s Improving Markets Index, which identifies metros that have shown improvement for at least six months. See which markets made the list.

The blog 24/7 Wall St. has identified the ten metropolitan areas where home prices are projected to increase the most by next year.

Last week, purchase demand for U.S. home mortgages improved, but applications for the mortgages remained unchanged and refinancing activity held steady.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency plan to overhaul the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) would mean that only 17 percent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 30-year loans qualify for refinancing.

Nationwide, 19.4 million renting households (out of 39.7 million total), or 49 percent, pay more than 30 percent of their total income in rent.

Calculated Risk reported that S&P/Case Shiller’s monthly Home Price Indices for August (actually a three-month average of June, July and August) indicate that home prices, when seasonally adjusted, declined.

The average number of days that homes have been on the market is 107, according to financial news site 24/7 Wall St. The site identified 10 cities where homes are on the market the longest.

With housing values set to appreciate 5.6 percent in 2012, Bismarck, N.D., is expected to be the strongest market in the country in the year ahead, according to a recent report by risk management and valuation services firm Veros. See other markets that