If you have the feeling that it's getting more difficult to afford the roof over your head, whether it's a home of your own or a rented apartment, you're right.

It's not just that house prices are rising quickly in many parts of the country. It's that some lenders who got burned in the previous decade's market crash are still gun-shy about extending credit. And even when lenders are ready and willing to jump back into the market, their federal regulators are telling them to rein in potentially risky loans.

The tight hold regulators have on lenders may or may not be comforting to a general public worried that another crash is possible -- or even probable. Either way, the lending business is fretting, loudly, about the affordability squeeze being placed on potential customers.

At the Mortgage Bankers Association's recent conference in Boston, both the chairman and the president of the group said that making housing more affordable -- for all types of buyers -- is a top priority.

MBA chair Rodrigo Lopez complained that although "the economy has regained its footing," homeownership remains "at its lowest levels in 50 years."

Lopez, who is an executive with a commercial mortgage lender, promised that affordable housing and access to credit will be among his first priorities during his year at the MBA helm.

The affordability squeeze extends to rentals as well. "Although we are constructing nearly 400,000 new rental units per year, only a small subset of these units will be affordable to lower-income households," Lopez said. "The combination of stagnant incomes and rising rents has resulted in an almost 40 percent increase in renter households who spend more than one-third of their incomes on housing. For some, rent approaches nearly half of their incomes -- an unacceptable statistic under any circumstance."

The squeeze is greatest on low-income, working-class families. But Lopez thinks the mortgage business could walk that tightrope between extending more credit and doing risky lending.

"We have an opportunity to improve access to credit, being mindful of the need to balance new regulations with innovation and responsible adjustments to the housing finance system," he told the meeting.

David Stevens, the MBA president and top staffer, pointed to "the millennial gap" as the perfect illustration of housing unaffordability.

"Homeownership rates among Americans between 18 and 35 are only 34 percent, or just over half the national rate," he pointed out. "But it's more than the fact that they're not buying. It's that they're not renting, either."

According to Pew Research, one in three 18- to 34-year-olds still lives with their parents. This marks the first time since 1880 that more people in that age cohort live with Mom and Dad than elsewhere.

Another telling statistic: According to the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, over the last 20 years, the percentage of Americans dedicating at least half their income to housing has risen from 42 percent to 52 percent. Over 1 million families now put more than 70 percent of their incomes toward rent and keeping the lights on.

"Whether the reason for the delay (in buying) is tight credit, student loan debt, the lack of affordable housing stock, average wages for young people, or just that millennials are taking their time before making big decisions like getting married or buying a home, it is causing an unusual and unsustainable rise in rental costs, particularly in urban areas," Stevens said.

"It's not all about the 'sharing economy.' Or that their parents' basement is a good place to hang a Bernie Sanders poster," he said.

Stevens said the MBA can be an effective advocate to negate the effects of the credit squeeze. But, he added, his members are being discouraged from lending to some first-time buyers because they worry a mistake might expose them to the wrath of regulators.

What's causing lender dread? Stevens said it's caused by "overly aggressive, and sometimes inappropriate, enforcement actions by some key government agencies." He notes that the regulatory framework is too often redundant -- "state regulations piled on top of federal regulations, piled on top of international rules, often conflicting with each other."

"No wonder (lenders) have no choice but (to take) the most conservative lending posture in order to meet the lowest common regulatory denominator," he said.

Steven called on MBA members, which include banks, mortgage companies and other financial institutions, to "create and promote affordable housing through incentives like the mortgage interest deduction, down payment savings and matching plans, as well as other means."

He also said his commercial members should encourage the financing and building of affordable rental units near offices and transit stops.

-- Freelance writer Mark Fogarty contributed to this report.

Millions of consumers are in for a big surprise in the coming months.

For some, the surprise will be good news; for others, not so good. Perhaps even devastating. And they don't appear to be prepared.

Let's start with the latter group, which consists of homeowners who have home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, and are about to get the shock of their lives.

Over the next few years, some 3 million homeowners with HELOCs have to say goodbye to making minimum, interest-only payments on their lines of credit, according to the RealtyTrac wing of Attom Data Solutions. Some loans allowed owners to stick to those minimum payments for up to 10 years. But soon, the piper will come calling, and they'll be required to start paying down their principal, as well as paying interest on their remaining balances.

According to a poll of 800 homeowners with HELOCs by TD Bank, 4 out of 5 do not realize they are going to get a financial kick in the pants in the form of an increase in their monthly payments.

More shocking stats: One-third of borrowers who opened HELOCs prior to 2011 are unaware of when their loans roll over from interest-only payments to interest-and-principal payments, even thought the date is right there in their loan papers. And more than half who took out a line of credit between 2005 and 2008 don't know what the impact will be when their HELOC "D-Day" comes around.

But here, perhaps, is the topper: Among those who do know a reset is coming, 1 out of 3 actually think their payments will go down, not up. Good luck with that!

Fortunately, there's still time to stave off a disaster. Dig out your loan papers, look for the rollover date and start working on how to handle the pending increase in your payments.

"It's important that HELOC borrowers plan ahead and review their contracts to determine the best course of action based on their current and future financial situations," says Mike Kinane, a vice president with TD Bank. If you are unsure what to do, or if it looks as though you might be buried under higher HELOC payments, contact your lender right away, Kinane says. "A responsible lender will offer multiple ways for you to pay down your line of credit."

According to the survey, more than a quarter of the respondents plan to refinance into another loan, perhaps another HELOC. But there are other options, including rolling the unpaid balance into your first mortgage.

There's nothing wrong with HELOCs. They are a good and flexible way to pay for home improvements, to consolidate debt, to pay for Jimmy and Jenna's educations or deal with unexpected expenses. But you have to know when the inevitable is coming and get ready for it.

Now, on to the good news. It involves former homeowners who went through tough times when the housing market crashed in 2008. They lost their homes through short sales, foreclosures or bankruptcies.

That black mark remains in their credit records for seven years. But between now and June of next year, the pock will fall away for some 2.5 million people.

Given what these folks went through, there's no telling whether they will ever test the housing waters again. But if they do decide to take the plunge, the latest analysis from Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, shows that two-thirds of them are scoring in the near-prime or higher credit segments.

In other words, should these folk decide to become "boomerang buyers," their chances are good they'll find it much easier to qualify for financing.

"The trends that we're seeing are promising for both the mortgage seeker and the lender," says Experian's Michele Raneri. "While many of these borrowers have gone through a very difficult time, it is encouraging to see them taking control of their finances with better credit scores and all-around better credit management."

In some quarters, "boomerangers" are expected to be an important segment of the housing market in the years ahead. But some will never, ever own a home again, and a small minority never should have become owners in the first place.

Some, though, have already re-enlisted, and according to the Experian study, most are showing responsible credit behaviors, have improved their credit scores and are current on their debts.

Zip lines, velodromes and children-designed play areas are among the hot new amenities uncovered by the John Burns Real Estate Consulting firm in its annual census of master-planned communities.

A 377-foot zip line can be found at Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, Florida, near Jacksonville. Part of the community's Splash Water Park, the high wire allows residents to soar from a tower to the park's lawn, gliding above the lazy river and sand volleyball courts along the way. At a speed of nearly 40 miles per hour, it's a hoot.

Perhaps an even bigger thrill ride is the velodrome at Riverwalk, a 1,000-acre project on the Catawba River in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Intended to introduce residents to the Olympic sport of track cycling, the 250-meter bike course is endorsed by USA Cycling and hosts top-caliber racing events. For the less adventurous, there are the practically prerequisite nature trails, as well as a canoe/kayak launch.

At Eastmark in Mesa, Arizona, kids helped design a dream "playscape" known as the Orange Monster. The climbing park features a pair of tandem pipe sculptures connected with almost a half-acre of netting. While the park encourages exercise, the community developer goes one better by giving away a cruiser bicycle with every new home "to promote a healthy and active lifestyle."

With a similar mind toward outdoor family fun, the developer at Viera on Florida's Space Coast donated 56 acres to the then-fledgling Brevard Zoo back in 1991. The facility is now a world-class, fully interactive zoo, home to more than 650 animals from 165 species.

Across the state in Wesley Chapel, Florida, the developer of the Epperson community is hoping their investment will pay off just as well: Any day now, they'll be breaking ground on one of the country's first residential "crystal lagoons." The seven-acre man-made pool will hold 16 million gallons of water -- a staggering amount, but still less water than it takes to maintain a typical Florida golf course -- and will be surrounded by white sand beaches. Hundreds of sensors along the pool's plastic-like lining will help self-clean the giant lake.

Among the other hot new amenties found in the Burns survey are a 200-step outdoor staircase where residents of the Meadows in Denver can get a serious workout, and a golden retriever who welcomes residents at Cane Island in Houston.

According to the marketing and research firm, the 50 best-selling master-planned properties -- it surveyed 230 -- accounted for nearly 5 percent of all new home sales last year. Nocatee was the third-best seller; Eastmark, the eighth.

In the multifamily sector, meanwhile, developers are creating more than just a temporary living space, says Kristen Gucwa, vice president of national lease-up operations at Richman Signature Properties. "We are designing rental properties that convey the feeling of a home as opposed to the traditional apartment rental."

At the Connecticut-based company's communities in Florida, Colorado and Texas, residents enjoy a variety of creature comforts, including pools, cabanas, 24/7 fitness centers, business centers, and dog parks with pet spas.

Also, with a 60-day notice, residents of one Richman property can relocate to another Richman community during their lease without penalty and without paying an application fee at the new place. "We see our residents as long-term family members," says Gucwa.

Rooftop dog parks, one with its own dog wash, are the hot amenity in Washington, D.C.'s booming inner-city market, where one report says 40 percent of renters have dogs. Most places charge tenants an initial fee to have a four-legged friend; some add a stipend to the monthly rent.

When it come to single-family residences, it's no secret that homes got larger in the years following the recession, largely because well-heeled buyers were the only ones who could qualify for financing under the ultra-strict post-recession underwriting guidelines.

Now, with lenders finally loosening their purse strings, the size of houses is trending down. Even so, of the houses built last year, more than a third had three or more full bathrooms, and 10 percent had four or more.

As for kitchen trends, granite is by far the most popular countertop, according to the National Association of Home Builders and design platform Houzz. Nearly two-thirds of all buyers pick granite over laminate and solid-surface materials. For appliances, stainless steel is the most popular finish. Just 6 percent of buyers go with black appliances, and 4 percent stick with white.