Economists predict slow but steady climb for U.S. home prices

U.S. housing prices will rise slightly in 2010 and will continue to climb slowly in the coming years, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted this week. Three-quarters of respondents said a return to the halcyon home prices of 2006 is a possibility — eventually. Home prices, currently around 40 percent off of their peak, are expected to rise 1.4 percent this year and 3 percent next year, aided by record-low mortgage rates. [Reuters via CNBC]