Fannie Mae has posted results of its second survey this year on people’s attitudes and views towards housing. The wide-ranging survey polled renters and homeowners between June 2010 and July 2010 to evaluate their assurance in homeownership as an investment, views on the U.S. housing finance system, overall confidence in the economy, and the current state of their household finances. The results are compared to a similar survey conducted by Fannie Mae from December 2009 to January 2010 and posted in April 2010, and a similar survey conducted in 2003.

The survey found that Americans have a mixed outlook for housing; they believe that the housing market is declining, but they are more wary about owning a home.

• Nearly half (47 percent) think that home prices will remain steady over the next year while nearly one-third (31 percent) think prices will go up.

• 70 percent think this is a good time to buy a house, compared with 64 percent in a similar survey that Fannie Mae conducted last January. But 33 percent said they would be more likely to rent their next home if they were to move -- up from 30 percent in the January survey.

• A great part of those surveyed (67 percent) continue to believe that housing is a safe investment. That number, however, is down by 16 percentage points from a similar survey that Fannie Mae conducted seven years ago. The current survey finds that more than 70 percent believe it will be harder for their children to buy a home, up three points since January.

These findings indicate the return of a more balanced and realistic approach to housing. This approach may weigh on the housing recovery in the near-term, but over time, it should help to build a stronger and healthier market focused on sustainable homeownership.

With this survey, I do want to point out that the DFW real estate market has remained strong even when you factor in the Dallas Foreclosure rates.