Home values were up 7.6 percent nationally from the third quarter of 2011 to the same period of 2012, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. See the five best markets where prices went up fastest. 1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. 2012 Q3 median home price: $153,400  Up: 34.9 percent 2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla. 2012 Q3 median home price: $127,000  Up: 27.6 percent 3. Akron, Ohio 2012 Q3 median home price: $118,800  Up: 26.9 percent 4. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 2012 Q3 median home price: $146,000  Up: 21.9 percent 5. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich. 2012 Q3 median home price: $95,700  Up: 19.5 percent Thanks to BankRate for this article, read more here

A big part of my job is helping our clients project the most likely scenarios for the housing market.  Now that we know who will be President, my job just got easier because we have 4 years of experience with Obama and a divided Congress, so we know what we are getting.  However, there is never a dull moment.  Here is what keeps me up at night: Mortgage Rates Dictated by Leadership : Geithner and Bernanke have worked closely together to implement very accommodative housing policies.  Geithner has already announced he is leaving and Bernanke is rumored not to want another term beginning January 2014.  Who will the replacement(s) be?   Who will slow down the housing market when it heats up again - something I believe Bernanke is trying to engineer ASAP? Mortgage Rates Dictated by China : While Bernanke has a lot of power, the bond markets are more powerful.  International bond buyers, particularly in China, can wreak a lo...

What's missing from your current home? Storage space? Decent parking? Privacy? There's no such thing as too much storage No one ever walked out of an open house thinking, "Nice place, but too many closets."  Visually strip away the furniture in a for-sale home and place your furniture and belongings. Or simply measure -- both the rooms and the closets -- and compare it to what you have now.  Ditto for kitchen cupboards, pantries and counter space. Those counter tops may look spacious until you get out all of your kitchen toys and discover there's not enough room, he says. Really look at a kitchen in terms of what you need when you cook to make sure the home offers the counter space you need. Test the commute BEFORE you commit You're only 15 miles from work. How long is that in traffic time?  Try the commute a few times, driving both ways, before you buy, at the times you would be normally commuting.  How well will you "fit in" with the ne...