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The Housing Market and Affecting Factors

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Housing Market National fiscal policies are influenced by the Federal Reserve, including the increase or decrease of interest rates. This affects mortgage rates and prices. When interest rates fall the demand for housing tends to rise, conversely when interest rates rise the housing market is adversely affected. There are several federal government divisions active in the role of reducing interest rates to stimulate the housing market including the Federal Housing Finance Agency, HUD, FEMA and the central bank (Weil, 2008). Fiscal policy is decisions by the President and Congress usually relating to taxation and government spending with the goals of full employment, price stability, and economic growth. In order to boost the economy the government will change tax policy and provide incentives to provoke consumers to spend (Heakal, 2009). One of the biggest tools the government has used is the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. By giving people a $7500 tax credit when they bought their first home, which made many more people buy houses between the years of 2008-2010, which helped stabilize the market for a little while. Once the tax credit ended, the housing industry started falling again. Diana Olick (2012) predicts that until the housing market is no longer dependent on distressed supply to support overall home sales calling a bottom to the national housing crisis is premature. The recent rise in home sale prices, up 1.7 percent, was a result of first time buyers and

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