* 36% of Americans say that mortgage rates will go up over the next 12 months, up 3% points from November and was even with October.

* 71% of respondents say it is a good time to buy a home (up 3 percentage points since last month), and  11% say it is a good time to sell.

* On average, Americans expect home rental prices to increase by 3.5% over the next 12 months, up from 3.2% in November.

* 5% expect a decline in home rental prices over the next 12 months (tying May 2011 as the lowest point in the past 12 months), while 43% of respondents believe that home rental prices will increase.

* 31% of Americans say they would rent their next home, while 64% say they would buy, up 1 percentage point from last month.