Renters trying to find places in hot up-and-coming neighborhoods in Chicago find themselves facing big price increases and stiff competition.

Apartment buildings are fuller than they’ve been in a decade. Rents are at record highs. Houses are relatively cheap, but loans are elusive.

Taken altogether, housing market indicators suggest the collapse is over.

An underappreciated factor behind the recent gains in the housing market is higher rents.

At 65.4 percent, we may be closing in on a "natural rate" of homeownership for the economy and society.

I recently was accepted to grad school, and my wife and I will be moving from Michigan to New Mexico. We are having a debate as to whether we should buy a home. After I finish my degree, I would like the freedom to leave New Mexico, if necessary, without having to worry about selling a home. My wife doesn't like the idea of paying rent and getting nothing back from it. Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

I just landed a job in Los Angeles and will be looking to rent starting in July. How much of my income is wise to spend on rent? Am I allowed to increase that number for a place like L.A., where rent is so expensive? Also, I only plan to be there for a year or so, so is it unreasonable for me to spend an extra couple hundred a month to live on the beach and take advantage of being single with my first job out of college? Sam, Athens, GA

I'll be retiring in a few months and my husband is already retired. We are thinking of selling our home in Florida and moving to California to be closer to our children and grandchildren, who live in Los Angeles. Another option might be to keep the house in Florida, buy an RV and camp out in an RV park in California until we wear out our welcome. What are some of the pitfalls that we should try to avoid? Nancy, Milton, FL

My boyfriend and I both currently work full-time and are in school. He's working toward an associate degree and I'm working on a master's. When we both finish, in the spring of 2014, we'll be qualified for much better-paying jobs. We're also planning on getting married between now and then and starting a family once one or both of us has found new employment. We weren't planning to buy a home any time soon, but I recently inherited $40,000. My question is, how do you know that you're ready to take the plunge? Leah, Ypsilanti, MI