The latest numbers from the Fiserv Case-Shiller Indexes show that the housing market may finally be on solid footing again. Average U.S. home prices increased by 1.2 percent in Q2 2012 from the same quarter last year. The year-over-year increase is the first since 2006 when excluding 2010, which was influenced by the federal homebuyer’s tax credit. The indices indicate that from the second quarter of 2012 to the same quarter in 2013, home prices will increase 0.3 percent and will continue to increase as the year progresses. Fiserv projects that housing prices will grow annually at a rate of 3.3% from mid-2012 through Q2 2017. The cities hardest hit by the housing bubble burst have seen the biggest increase. Phoenix saw an uptick of 14.5%, Detroit saw an increase of 11.6%, and Miami saw home prices rise by 6.9%. “The real estate market in the spring and summer of 2012 was the strongest since the peak of the bubble. There is now strong evidence for a slow, sustainable recovery on both the supply side and the demand side,” said David Stiff, chief economist, Fiserv in a statement. “On the demand side, existing home sales increased to their highest levels since 2007, save for the sale spikes caused by the home buyer tax credit. At the same time, supply is decreasing. In many markets, limited inventories are holding back sales activity as potential buyers are unable to find properties to purchase, pushing up home prices as buyers compete for a dwindling supply of homes for sale,” he continued. Read the entire post at DSNews.com | By Ashley Harris | Nov 28, 2012 Renaissance Homes is an award winning Street of Dreams custom home builder specializing in green building, remodeling and renovations for the Portland market. Visit our Design Studio to personalize your next home.