Jobs data points the way to stronger housing:

Real Estate used to be about location, location, location. Now it is most certainly about jobs, jobs, jobs.

We received some welcome news on the jobs front last week:

The private sector added a seasonally adjusted 325,000 jobs during the month, up from 204,000 in November, payroll-processing firm ADP said:
It marked the biggest monthly gain since December 2010, and was stronger than expected. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com were forecasting a gain of 180,000 jobs for the month. And the great news is that half of the gains were made by small business (companies with fewer than 50 employees)
Headline National Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.5%:
The U.S. Unemployment Rate unexpectedly fell to 8.5 percent last month as job creation was more robust than expected, providing continued signs that the nation's labor market is improving gradually.

Growth in manufacturing jobs helped offset a loss in government positions, while wages edged higher and the length of the work week also lengthened a bit. Job gains came from a variety of quarters: Transportation and warehousing surged by 50,000, the couriers and message industry rose 42,000, and retail added 28,000. Manufacturing grew by 23,000 and the hospitality industry continued its brisk pace, adding 24,000 jobs in December and 230,000 over the past year at food and drinking establishments.