Debate leaves some taxing questions about housing unresolved

Commentary: Obama and Romney need to provide more details on their positions

Anybody who watched it knows that Mitt Romney scored a technical knockout of President Obama in last week’s debate. But are there some potential future costs and concerns for housing that have to be looked at in the wake of that victory?

On the one hand, Romney surprised Obama with sharp criticism over an issue that has plagued homebuyers and refinancers: the super-strict underwriting and documentation that banks are requiring for home loans, in part because they’re worried about forthcoming "qualified mortgage" federal rules under the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation.