Americans are feeling cautious about their money and the housing market as 2013 comes to an end. Surveyed for Fannie Mae’s November National Housing Survey, nearly two-thirds of Americans said they believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction and that their personal finances will worsen in the next year. Despite the pessimism, however, the housing market is still expected to improve. Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae, said caution is the defining feature of Americans’ attitudes toward the economy. In this environment, according to Duncan, the housing market is likely to improve but only at a gradual pace. Still, a majority of Americans said they would buy, rather than rent, if they were to move and 64 percent feel that now is a good time to buy a home. The number of respondents who felt it would be easy for them to obtain a home mortgage rose 4 percentage points to 50 percent. More here.