If you put off moving because you’re worried home prices might drop, make no mistake, they’re not going down. In fact, it's just the opposite. National data from several sources says they’ve been going up consistently this year.

Lending standards have tightened, leading to more qualified buyers who can afford to make their mortgage payments. Data from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae shows the number of homeowners who are seriously behind on their mortgage payments is declining.

Today we will explore some key real estate metrics that are important to both buyers and sellers in the market. By analyzing these metrics, we can gain valuable insights into the current state of the real estate market and understand the correlation between them.

The reality is, while increasing, the data shows a foreclosure crisis is not where the market is headed. Let’s look at the latest information with context so we can see how this compares to previous years.

Here are the top two questions you need to ask yourself about home prices and mortgage rates as you make your decision.

One of the reasons prices didn’t crash like some expected is because there aren’t enough available homes for the number of people who want to buy them. Even with today’s mortgage rates, there are more people looking to buy than there are homes available for sale.

Even though interest rates have been rising the past 12 months, these real estate metrics paint a clear picture of a thriving and competitive market.

If you’re intimidated by how much you need to save for a down payment it may be because you believe you must put 20% down. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

Do all those confusing headlines about the housing market leave you with more questions than answers? That’s hard when you’re trying to decide if you’re ready to buy or sell a home. Get your free guides. They’re designed to make sure you have the information you need to make your decision.

Here are two fundamentals that prove this is one of the most foundationally strong housing markets of our lifetime – if not the strongest housing market of our lifetime.