It's noteworthy that buyer foot traffic has climbed over nine straight months and is now at it's highest reported level in nearly 7 years. Low mortgage rates and rising home prices throughout Rockville have compelled today's renters and existing homeowners to consider their home buying options. This was none more apparent that in the Northeast Region in which builder confidence grew twelve points to 42. The Midwest Region also showed a strong improvement, climbing 2 points to 53. The West and South regions fell slightly between November and December. For today's buyers, rising builder confidence may be a signal that home prices are headed higher. Confident home sellers -- including the nation's builders -- are less likely to make price concessions into an improving market, or may be less likely to offer free upgrades to buyers. Therefore, if you are in the market for a newly-built home, consider that you may get the best "deal" by acting sooner rather than later. Mortgage rates are rising and home prices are, too. Six months from now, your costs of homeownership may be higher.