"The goal here is to use 1990 and 2000 Census data on home prices to predict home prices in 2010. If those models prove robust, we can use the model to forecast for 2020."

Selectively picking factors that worked in the past to predict what will happen in the future is like picking stocks based on what worked in the past- "Gee, oil and energy companies skyrocketed from 1990 to 2000, so oil and energy companies will rock from 2010 to 2020!!"