The residential real estate fog that's engulfed the nation is starting to lift in favor of a far sunnier outlook, according to several real estate forecasters.

But while the worst may be over, there's still some nastiness to come. As the market bottoms out with prices in coastal areas dropping harshly and sales declining, other markets are poised for growth.

Exactly where, how and when depends on which forecaster you ask. We asked:

• Chris Porter, senior consultant with John Burns Real Estate Consulting and former director of Professional Builder magazine's Website.
  
• Richard F. Moody, chief economist and director of research of Mission Residential, a real estate investment firm.
  
• Dr. Lawrence Yun, Managing Director of Quantitative Research at the National Association of Realtors where he manages the Statistics and Forecasting Groups of the Research Division.
  
• Ingo Winzer, president of Massachusetts-based Local Market Monitor, a real estate analysis firm which looks at housing costs across the country.

Top 30 areas	Select an area: Albuquerque, N.M. Atlanta Bangor, Maine Billings, Mont. Birmingham, Ala. Boise, Idaho Boston Cincinnati Chicago Denver Detroit El Paso, Texas Kansas City, Mo. Las Vegas Little Rock, Ark. Los Angeles Minneapolis Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Nashville, Tenn. Nassau, N.Y. New Orleans Oklahoma City Philadelphia Raleigh, N.C. San Francisco Salt Lake City Seattle Syracuse, N.Y. Tucson, Ariz. Washington, D.C.

Metros Forecast Overnight average* 30 year fixed rate +/- Albuquerque, N.M. Sunny 5.03% Atlanta Sunny 4.95% Bangor, Maine Partly cloudy 5.14% Billings, Mont. Sunny 5.13% Birmingham, Ala. Partly cloudy 5.03% Boise, Idaho Sunny 5.13% Boston Partly cloudy 4.98% Cincinnati Stormy 5.02% Chicago Partly cloudy 4.98% Denver Partly cloudy 4.87% Detroit Stormy 5.04% El Paso, Texas Sunny 4.97% Kansas City, Mo. Partly cloudy 5.03% Las Vegas Stormy 5.16% Little Rock, Ark. Sunny 5.11% Los Angeles Stormy 4.87% Minneapolis Partly cloudy 4.97% Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stormy 4.88% Nashville, Tenn. Sunny 4.96% Nassau, N.Y. Stormy N/A N/A New Orleans Stormy 5.21% Oklahoma City Sunny 5.15% Philadelphia Partly cloudy 5.15% Raleigh, N.C. Sunny 5.04% San Francisco Foggy 4.87% Salt Lake City Partly cloudy 5.06% Seattle Partly cloudy 4.90% Syracuse, N.Y. Sunny 5.25% Tucson, Ariz. Partly cloudy 4.94% Washington, D.C. Partly cloudy 5.14%