Builders group sees pickup in housing this year

The U.S. housing market will begin to mount a turnaround this year, building toward a solid recovery in 2013, according to a forecast issued Wednesday by the chief economist of a homebuilding industry trade group.

The outlook by National Association of Home Builders Chief Economist David Crowe calls for U.S. sales of new homes and single-family home construction to improve this year compared to 2011, when they hit record lows.

The forecast still leaves new home sales and construction well below the levels of a healthy housing market, however. That reflects the severity of the industry's downturn, and it suggests the housing market could be years away from full health.

"I'm looking at 2012 as sort of a ramping event to get a much more solid recovery in 2013," Crowe said in a telephone interview.

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