Today's housing situation is a complicated mix of troubling data and promising signs, and it's difficult for consumers to know which report or media article to believe and which to ignore.

One resource they can trust is you. And one of the most effective ways you can communicate key U.S. housing trends is through the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

 The monthly report, which includes sales data from 53 metro areas in 45 states and is released just a couple weeks after month's end, provides a very good snapshot of what's happening on the national front. Its scope and timeliness makes it much more credible than the 20-city Case-Shiller survey, whose three-month moving-average methodology produces more of a rear-view window perspective than anything.

If you're not familiar with the RE/MAX National Housing Report, I urge you to download the June edition now – and make it a monthly habit to get each new volume. You can find them on remax.com and on the PR page here on Mainstreet.

The June report contains some interesting, and hopeful, statistics. Our analysis shows that prices have risen four months in a row, with the gap between 2010 and 2011 tightening. Transactions grew as well, although they remained 10.6 percent behind last June's figure.

Interestingly, prices in 19 metro areas, led by Pittsburgh and Baltimore, were higher in June than they were a year ago. And other fairly positive signs were seen in Days on Market and Inventory levels.

Make no mistake – the RE/MAX National Housing Report isn't filled with rosy pictures. But for an accurate, unemotional, fact-based look at where we stand, it's a very good product. I hope you see its value in helping you establish yourself as the real estate expert your clients expect and deserve.