Your House Is A Home, Not A Tech Stock

Everywhere you read, it's all about the slowing housing market, or worse. Nobody likes to feel they bought or sold at the right time, but to make the best move you can you need to know your future plans a lot more than you need a crystal ball. Playing the wait-and-see game, as this Los Angeles Times 9/10/2006 article shows, doesn't always work out. Real estate is cyclical in nature, and if you buy and plan to stay at least five to seven years, you are more likely to be making a good investment. "But housing is not bought and sold as easily as tech stocks ... People who are rolling the dice, and not getting into real estate for the right reasons, are putting themselves at risk," says John Karevoll of Dataquick. "If you're planning on living in the property for three to five years or more, you can make a good investment today," he said. "It won't be as good as if you bought three years ago, but it will be better than if you wait until interest rates go up." So trying to time the market and sell early or wait to buy, as some people have learned, can be the wrong move for the wrong reasons. First and foremost should be an assessment of your needs, then try to match those needs with the best loan and the best house that you can get at the time.