Today's housing market is a mixed bag. On the one hand, a better job market, improving wage growth and low mortgage rates have driven buyer demand higher and made an increasing number of Americans consider buying a house. On the other, too few homes for sale are driving prices upward and new home construction isn't keeping pace with the increase in demand. Fortunately, in some cases, these factors help balance each other out. For example, though prices continue to rise in most markets, mortgage rates remain low – making higher prices slightly more manageable. All in all, Fannie Mae's chief economist, (2 comments)