3 key housing issues real estate professionals, consumer advocates and entrepreneurs hope the president and Congress resolve in 2013

1. Clearly identify for mortgage lenders what qualifies as a 'qualified mortgage' and thus allow them to lend with confidence. (Not all but many of the challenges in lending stem from this uncertainty.)
2. Extend the mortgage forgiveness debt relief act of 2007- this tax exemption has encouraged appropriate settlements and removing this exemption would discourage recovery.
3. Reform the GSE's, primarily, 'Fannie and Freddie'. So much of the run up in false home values has now been statistically traced back to these corporations and their powerful influence on the housing climate in the United States.