FHA loans

On Thursday, Congress moved to raise the loan ceiling for mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration on Thursday, despite some lawmakers' fears of artificially propping up the market.

It doesn't look like the housing market will come roaring back anytime soon, but with historically low interest rates, now's a good time to buy. The hard part is that banks in the post-bubble era are notoriously stingy with that cheap money, so figuring out how to get a smile out of a mortgage lender is task No. 1.

The days when anyone could claim to have a reliable crystal ball for the real estate market have long passed. Nevertheless, what's past is prologue: There's a lot going on in the market right now that is likely to have a pretty predictable impact on real estate in 2011. Let's look at how homebuyers...

Bank of America and Wells Fargo were among banks that tightened credit standards for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration in a move that may put a crimp in the U.S. housing recovery by effectively eliminating 6.3 million people from the potential home buying pool.

The news about real estate isn't reassuring -- new mortgage delinquencies are rising and the federal government owns 46% of the nation's foreclosed homes. But some cities are seeing higher prices, even as others continue to fall.