Dive summary:

• When the National Association of Home Builders tallied the results of its monthly survey of the industry, it found that builders were no less optimistic about the near-term future than they were in December, but no more optimistic, either.
• The January index stood at 47, which is where it was last month after eight consecutive months of increasing confidence, three points short of an even split on thinking about the future.
• The association suggested that builders might be peeved by ongoing difficulties for buyers seeking mortgages, dissatisfaction with appraisals and having no idea what Congress and the president will do about ongoing fiscal problems.

From the article:

"... uncertainties stemming from last month’s fiscal cliff negotiations contributed to the pause in builder confidence and continuing discussions among policymakers related to spending cuts and the future of the mortgage interest deduction could put a damper on housing demand in the coming months." ...