The nation’s home appraisal system needs a serious overhaul, according to a white paper prepared by appraiser Joan Trice and members of the Collateral Risk Network.

The steep decline in the residential and non-residential building sectors over the past five years has greatly affected gypsum demand.

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.

Private residential construction rose 0.2 percent in September, up 0.1 percent from September 2010.

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

The New Home Company has purchased 128 single-family detached lots within The Parkway masterplan in Folsom, Calif.

Data from the 2010 American Community Survey indicates that single-family detached housing attracted 79.2 percent of the new households in the 51 major metropolitan areas over the past decade.