ORLANDO — Maybe the clearest way to look at the housing market is through a nice glass window.

Susan Marvin, president of Marvin Windows and Doors, a small, privately held family company based in Warroad, Minn., wants to believe that the housing market is improving, but the numbers say otherwise.

Housing starts and permits are at or near all-time lows. So are new-home sales. Existing-home sales, while improving, remain at near-historic lows. These are the reasons why Ms. Marvin’s company projects that 2012 will be a flat year for the window business, no better than last year.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/02/10/windows-reveal-the-true-housing-market/

Read our Santa Fe Real Estate report.