stocks Meritage Homes Corp

The federal agency that some credit with saving the housing market during the worst of the recent crash, may now be in need of taxpayer help itself.

The homebuilders are rising from the ashes, after overbuilding and a credit crash sent sales and construction to levels not seen economists began counting all those numbers; they are rising, but not necessarily thriving.

The one thing standing in the way of a more robust housing recovery, is tight credit. Mortgage rates are at near-historic lows, but too many potential home buyers still cannot access these rates due to damaged credit.

A jump in signed contract to buy newly built homes in September brought volumes to the highest level since April of 2010. Is it enough to put a period on the statement that housing is in full recovery? Perhaps, but not an exclamation point.

It’s hard to imagine, given that the nation’s housing market is still digging itself out of an epic foreclosure crisis, that there just are not enough homes available to buy. But, that may be the case.

Real estate is and always will be local, and this recovery is becoming increasingly local. That is clear in the latest numbers on supplies of distressed homes.

In a dismal summer for economic stats, housing continues to be the bright spot.

Take a look at some of Friday's morning movers:

Homebuilders have been on a stellar six-month run, with the S&P homebuilder index surging almost 80 percent since mid-September, and some analysts expect the rally to continue.

Shares of the following companies are showing unusual moves in Tuesday's trading session.

While housing reports this year have generally pointed to an improving recovery in the real estate market, the growth remains at an anemic pace, translating into choppy moves for housing stocks for the foreseeable future.

Despite mixed results in the housing sector, many homebuilder stocks are outperforming the overall market by a large margin.

Take a look at some of Thursday morning's early movers:

Green costs more, and today's already-skittish potential home buyers are not willing to shell out more cash for a greener standard of living, according to a new survey.