Housing stocks were trading mostly higher on Tuesday after an analyst forecast modest improvement in the housing market next year and better home orders for homebuilders.

In his report, J.P. Morgan analyst Michael Rehaut said he sees the housing market stabilizing and improving modestly next year, coming off a 2010 that has seen home sales weaken in the months following the end of federal homebuyer tax credits in April.

Rehaut notes that, while demand for homes remains highly depressed, new home construction and home sales have largely stabilized over the past four months.

"We see this recent stability as critical in terms of our outlook for only modest downside for home prices, in contrast to 2006-2008, when consistently falling demand trends played a key role in declining home prices," Rehaut wrote.

The analyst anticipates home prices will trend from flat to down about 3 percent next year -- a view that he notes is more positive than other forecasts, some of which see home prices falling another 5 percent to 10 percent in 2011.

As a result of more stable price trends, builders should see minimal land-related charges and a modest increase in profit margins, the analyst said.

He also expects more builders to generate operating earnings per share next year.