Residential home construction is poised to be bright spot in the national economy as new home construction grew by 28 percent last year, The Washington Post reports. The forecast for the coming year also appears strong after builders received permits for 800,000 new housing units in 2012, a 30 percent increase over the previous year. The Business Review has reported on signs of a housing rebound for several months now. The uptick also could attract more real estate agents into the business.