Local lenders and homebuilders got a boost Monday after a national trade group for real-estate agents said the battered housing market is on the verge of stabilizing.

The National Association of Realtors also inched-up its outlook for 2007 and 2008 home sales.

The monthly forecast from the NAR said that existing home sales in the U.S. will fall 12.5 percent this year to 5.67 million the lowest level since 2002.

But this is an increase from the association’s precition last month of 5.66 million. It is still a steep decline from the 6.48 million homes that were sold last year.

The group also said that it expects sales to rise slightly in 2008 to 5.7 million, up from last month’s prediction of 5.69 million.

The group’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun, added that the worst of the credit crunch has been accounted for in the data. Yun said conditions have improved.

The Realtors group also forecast the median price for U.S. existing homes – the point at which half sold for more and half for less – will sink by 1.9 percent to $217,600 this year and rise 0.3 percent next year to $218,300. If the median price falls this year it will be the first price decline since the trade group began tracking this data 40 years ago.

Shares at Calabasas-based lender Countrywide Financial Corp. added 6.7 percent to $12.41 while lender Fremont General Corp. added 8.1 percent to $2.80.

Local homebuilders also got a push from the news. Shares in Calabasas-based Ryland Group Inc. added 3.2 percent to $27.54 and Los Angeles-based KB Home gained 3.2 percent to $24.45.

These gains come after Ryland and KB Home added 16 percent and 13 percent, respectively, last week alone.