The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) reported that there are 13 good reasons for their members to look at 2013 as a good year for real estate. And, frankly, if it's a good year for REALTORS, it's a good year for buyers and sellers.

The national real estate marketplace took a serious upturn in 2012 and we're seeing new home construction where vacant land has only been growing weeds. Record low interest rates continue. Yes, all the cards are on the table for a positive escalation of the recovery we're experiencing.

Additionally, the REALTORS are pointing a knowledgeable finger at 13 positive market indicators:

1. The impact of increasing home values - good things rub off.
    
2. New households are forming faster than apartments are available.
    
3. Buyers are moving to purchase before prices climb too far, providing an initial momentum to the 2013 recovery escalation.
    
4. More than 90 percent of surveyed members of the Millennial generation report they do plan to buy and many are at prime buying age.
    
5. Foreclosures which have complicated our marketplace are falling and approaching the level they were at before the housing bust began.
    
6. Educated predictions foretell continuing low mortgage interest rates.
    
7. 2012 ended with a measurably higher rate of mortgage loan applications than at any other time throughout the year.
    
8. American home sellers are evidencing a renewed confidence that it's a good time to sell.
    
9. Across the country more and more local markets are measuring improvements and it's the local markets that count.
    
10. The expectation of more job creations is fueling a boost to the commercial sector.
     
11. New home construction is returning but only because builders and developers are confident.
     
12. With the return of reasonable home values, fewer and fewer homeowners find themselves with homes that can't pay off the mortgage through their sale.
     
13. A cyclical pattern has reemerged where the national economic recovery is being fueled by the real estate marketplace recovery which in turn further bolsters the overall economic recovery. It's a healthy equation.

The NAR is more than just a cheerleader for the REALTORS, it's a reliable source of market analysis and the most respected voice in the American real estate marketplace. When it comes to a realistic market understanding, they ought to know.

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Frank Castaldini - Leading San Francisco Realtor and Trusted Advisor

415.846.1899 | www.FrankCastaldini.com