Could rising mortgage rates be good for housing? The Federal Reserve is finally taking more action to raise its short-term rates. Last week, it voted to raise the Fed funds rate by 25 basis points. That is expected to add pressure to mortgage rates, too. Many housing analysts fear that rising mortgage rates could further impact home affordability and lead home buyers to pause. However, Rick Sharga, executive vice president of Ten-X and former senior vice president at RealtyTrac, disagrees. He thinks the rise in mortgage rates could prove to be a good thing for the housing market. He argues that it will cause buyers to get off the fence faster and move into the market sooner – before rates go any higher. He expects that to help increase home sales in 2017. Sharga also believes higher rates will cause lenders to loosen some of the tight underwriting standards that have plagued the housing market the last few years and prevented many would-be borrow