All of the reports from the various "experts" and news outlets this week, and in previous weeks, can confuse people as to what is really going on within the housing market. You have home builders reporting on Wall Street, and other places, about housing starts and permits being down. You have the National Association of Realtors reporting sales of existing homes are up. And you also have short sales surpassing foreclosures, in sales, for the first time, ever. "Good News on Housing Permits More Than Offsets the Bad News on Starts”— HIS Global Insight