Will the housing market pick up in the near future?
405718
I am giving my answer without a crystal ball.  The market is on its way down because the price went up too quickly and a lot of emotional buyers got their new houses without knowing how to pay the mortgages.  We will see plenty of foreclosures unfortunately.  If you are looking, please just look and keep looking for the time being.
510814
It's depends on where you are and what the market is like. It's getting harder now since the interest is going up and people who could afford to move up before can no longer afford doing so. Starting in spring till the end of the summer is the busiest time for the agents. If you don't make a sale by the end of the summer, I'd say take a side job.
792668
Eventually yes they will have to fall!! Prices are rising at an alarming rate, and it will get to the point where it will be difficult for many people to afford to buy their own home. As the saying goes "what goes up has to come down".
616446
Prices grew by over 40% 2 years in a row.  Now prices have stabilized and homes are staying on the market longer.  Prices have not dropped, but with inventory increasing, it will probably happen soon.
40130
I have been mulling over the same question. I have decided that the bubble is more hyped up then it should be and that if anything prices will drop a bit or rmain the same over the next year or two. I'm just going to bite the bullet and buy a half million dollar property, i'm probably going to buy in Glendale in the next two months.\n\nGood Luck finding the right house!
220831
New home building will start to slack as higher interest rates take some people out of the housing market. Rentals will increase as young couples are forced to rent rather then buy.
43434
No, it levels out.  Drastic increases only happen every 10 - 20 years.  Some local things may effect a large change but the economy won't.  The present rise in Real Estate has a lot to do with the interest rates being so low for so long, and with the help of some politician land owners hiking prices it causes a snowball effect.  You'll see a gradual increase but look at the supply and demand, and the over pricing that's going on right now.  It's baseless and will take a few years to catch up.
923954
Real estate market is great right now!  You can never do wrong with real estate, it's growing every day...so go for it if you can..
253236
These rates aren't very high compared to the 80's when there double digits. I think they will climb to around 8% or so. The constent slow down of the real estate market will result in over supply with less demand. Maybe in order to increase purchases at the present higher than they ought to be prices the Feds will lower the interest rates to seduce buying.
81947
Actually, prices are rising very rapidly. You should buy soon so you can make a nice profit in a year. Western North Carolina is really booming, and has been over the past year or so.
956239
It will help the price of housing to go up again. OH I forgot most of them will end up being placed in government housing and find jobs from the political incumbents.
808498
There won't be a crash, too many people want property as its the only real investment these days.  You should get on the ladder now before prices go up again.
321626
The market is alright just now...the boom of around 4-6 years ago has gone, but there are jobs.\n\nGood luck!
120054
All real estate is local. Some local markets will most certainly see prices stabilize to fall. Coastal areas have been extremely HOT. Areas like Atlanta have only seen modest growth in the past.\n\nSo what you're likely to see is prices in coastal Florida show flat to decline, while metro-Atlanta will see flat to increase. \n\nRemember though, people have been saying Florida will decline for many years and many of us (including me) have missed great opportunities.
847601
Not drastically but then again remember Japan in the 1980's whent he R/E market bottomed out....\n\nThing is that densely populated metropolitan areas such as Hong Kong will typically hold value since housing is always at a premium i.e. demand exceeds supply.
915731
It's just not in FL, it's like that all the way to the west coast. Prices have dropped from between 5-10% here in just the last few months. New housing construction has slowed to a snails pace and is almost at a stand still. Some places, including Las Vegas are looking at a predicted drop in home values of 25-30%  in the near future. They predict the decline in prices to continue for about 2 years before they level back out. In the meantime foreclosures were up almost 50% this last month in this area (central CA) and are expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
997727
Probably.  It depends how you look at it.\n\nOver the long term, stocks & real estate will probably give you the same return on the dollar (learned this in Finance at University of Chicago nobel prize winner).  However, that may vary in the short run/shorter time horizons (e.g. over 10 yrs or less).  Recognize you usually own a home for longer & usu get a 30 yr loan.  Lately, obviously real estate has been doing better than the stock market.  But, with interest rate hikes, the real estate market seems to be cooling off.  And, real estate can differ greatly pending on the house you buy & its location.  I do not claim to be an expert and you may want to speak w/ an objective real estate agent (if you can find one).\n\nThat being said, in general buying is almost always preferable to renting as your monthly payments will be lower, esp as time goes on.  This, in turn, will allow you to save more so you can invest it whereever you want to.  Usually rent increases year after year; but, your mortgage payments will be the same as they are today for 30 yrs.  I say this as someone who has rented the last 10 yrs & wish I had bought sooner.  My apartment just went condo & I bought it 2 months ago.  In retrospect, I wish I had done it sooner.\n\nI read an excellent book on the subject that was very educational for first time buyers.  It's called "The automatic Millionaire Homeowner" by David Bach.  It explains all the basics & how to think abt mortgage options and what might be right for you.  It was really helpful.   A few months ago, I was a complete moron on the subject...now, I understand what others are talking about.