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50 | Th e M Rep o RT o r i g i nat i o n s e r v i c i n g a na ly t i c s s e c o n da r y M a r k e t ANALYTICS The LaTesT consumer attitudes Mixed in Wake of economic growth Consumers in some of November's top confidence measures couldn't agree on whether we're moving forward, heading backward, or simply standing still. c onsumer sentiment on housing and the economy took a small step backward in November, according to survey results released last month by Fannie Mae. In its latest National Housing Survey, the GSE found attitudes about the current state of the housing market ranged from flat to pessimistic in November after an October marked by more hopeful responses. "November's National Housing Survey results support the 2014 trend of gradual, but often sporadic and unspectacular, improvement across a range of indicators measuring consumer attitudes toward housing—mir- roring the uneven recovery in housing activity this year," said Doug Duncan, SVP and chief economist at Fannie Mae. Looking at the year ahead, 44 percent of consumers polled in November predicted further home price gains, flat from October. Just 6 percent antici- pated declines, down just slightly from the previous month's survey. The average home price change expectation was 2.6 per- cent in November, down from 2.8 percent in October. In response to recent trends in interest rates, the share of consum- ers predicting an increase in rates over the next year dropped to 45 percent from 48 percent in October and 59 percent a year earlier, when rates were on the rise. While interest rates may be trending in a more consumer- friendly direction, the current state of the credit market still has many Americans doubtful about their chances of getting a loan. Forty-eight percent of respondents in Fannie Mae's survey said they think it would be easy to get a mortgage today, remaining unchanged from the past few months. The share of those saying it would be difficult to get a mortgage was down from October but still elevated at 47 percent. Overall, 62 percent of re- spondents said they would buy a home if they were to move today, down from 65 percent in October and 66 percent in September. In contrast to the lukewarm sentiment expressed in Fannie Mae's report, a survey conducted by Trulia for the fourth quarter found the majority of Americans are optimistic about all areas of real estate for 2015, includ- ing selling and buying a home, qualifying for a purchase loan or refinance, and the rental market. According to Trulia, 36 percent of respondents said 2015 will be much better or a little better for selling a home, compared to 16 percent who said they believe the coming year will be much worse or a little worse. The difference of 20 percentage points between the two dispositions was the highest of all categories, although all five activities had a higher percentage of respondents who answered much or a little better than an- swered much or a little worse. Of those surveyed, 74 percent said homeownership was part of the American Dream, matching the share of respondents that an- swered the same in Q 4 2013 and again sitting at a post-recession high. The fourth-quarter figure came in slightly higher than the percentage who felt the same way in 2012, 2011, and 2010, ac- cording to Trulia. Among younger adults, the percentage of those who be- lieve homeownership is part of achieving the American Dream is at an all-time post-recession high, Trulia said. Of the adults surveyed from ages 18 to 34, 78 percent connected homeowner- ship to the American Dream. The