You have undoubtedly heard the saying that it is always darkest before the dawn. Well this real estate market is looking pitch black and the numbers are ugly. Smart investors are beginning to scoop up properties because they know the time to buy is when everyone is running away.

But why do what the smart investors are doing when you can be a real estate loser? Here are your 7 steps to becoming one.

1. Never buy a home when the prices are lowest.

2. Never finance your home purchase when interest rates are near historic lows.

3. Never look for a home when you have plenty to choose from.

4. Never buy a home when foreclosures are rising and banks are offering deep discounts.

5. Keep thinking that you can always buy your dream home next year.

6. Always wait for the market to recover and prices go up.

7. And most of all never, never actually do what you can continue to only dream about.

Now that you know the rules you can be the next real estate loser.

So let's just take a minute to learn the state of the market.

The housing prices are down in many parts of the country, but are things really as bad as the news agencies would have us believe? Remember they are in the news business to sensationalize stories into entertainment that sells. Sorry to break it to you but news really is in the business of entertainment.

News agencies would have us believe that home sale are at the lowest levels on record when right now the current rate of resales is at about 4.89 million according to the National Association of Realtors. Sure that is down from the 6 million or so per year during the boom years of real estate, but come on 5 million is a heck of a lot of homes changing hands.

The real low point in existing home sales came in 1970 and the sales rate in January 2008 was three times greater than 1970. You really should not believe everything that you hear. The interest rates have trended up a half point recently, but look where they are. That 6.27 rate on a 30 year fixed is lower than a year ago and from a historical perspective near all time lows. Financing a home purchase is very affordable from an interest rate standpoint.

Many economists are even forecasting lower rates in the coming months and the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke promises to continue cutting short term interest rates. What this all means is there is strong potential for a bottoming of the market and a turnaround in real estate.

The remaining piece to the puzzle is for home buyers, even more real estate investors and consumers to realize this. Once they start taking a look at the deep discounts being offered with the pricing in local markets the market will turn. The time has come to get off the sidelines or miss opportunity of a lifetime in real estate.

Low real estate prices and low interest rates just do not happen in real estate at the same time. When they do you need to take advantage it.

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