Housing growth will continue to be a powerful driver of economic growth even if the Federal Reserve pulls back and mortgage rates rise, CIBC World Markets chief economist Avery Shenfeld told CNBC in the interview, “Economist: Housing Will Thrive After Fed Exit.”

“Mortgage availability actually remains very, very tight,” Shenfeld told CNBC. “I think that as the mortgage market recovers, which it will with recovering consumer credit, we’ll get more support from mortgages for the housing rally in 2014, even if mortgage rates are in fact higher than they have been—because mortgage availability will be that much better.”

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Will higher mortgage rates kill the housing market? Maybe not! – Washington Post