The Real Estate market fluctuates, always. It moves in tandem to the economy. So when the economy is moving along, jobs are plentiful and people are spending money, the cost of housing goes up. There are fewer homes for sale, and the seller has a definite advantage over the buyer as far as price and negotiations are concerned. Mortgage companies offer great incentives and life is good all around.

But as it often does, a downswing follows, those great incentives from the mortgage companies turn out to be really great for the mortgage company but not so great for a struggling family. The home that was bought when all was right with the world is suddenly a lodestone so heavy that it drags the owner toward foreclosure, and bankruptcy. Selling that same home becomes a nightmare, because often the price paid for it isn't anywhere near the price it will sell for now. Bank owned properties and foreclosures rates rise. Homes for sale sit on a market that is sluggish to non-existent. The job market falters, mortgage companies tighten the requirements for loans, and some close altogether. Food and gas prices rise. This sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Estimates are that the current downswing in the real estate market will last into the first quarter of 2010, as America trims the fat off our economy. But that has a lot of people wondering if it is a good time to buy property, or do they sit and wait it out. That greatly depends on your financial well-being; many of the high rollers are taking a wait and see attitude about the current market. And some risk takers are wagering everything in the hopes that they can wait out the economy and come out on top. Where does that leave the average person?

If you need to sell your property, by all means put it up for sale, my suggestions are talk to a few agents, get a realist vision of the current market in your area and price your home to sell in that market. Listen to your Agent, they are after all the authority in this instance. Keep your home clutter free, and be open to showings at a moments notice. Don,t price yourself out of the market, thinking that you'll take a lower offer, because the offers probably won't come and the house will set for months on end. If you owe more that the current market will support, you will either have to bring money to the closing table or hold on to the property until you are able to break even that is your call, only you know your financial circumstances.

If you are buying, you are in for a treat. The market is flooded with options, prices are good. Look to your agent for advice on what is truly a good buy, and go for it. Please don't feel that just because the market is on your side you can take advantage of the sellers. First of all, Karma comes back to bite and bite hard, and secondly in your finagling will probably miss out on a tremendous deal. When you make an offer on a property, be realistic. Offering $20,000 to 30,000 less than asking price for a home that is price well to begin with is the equivalent of a smack in the face to the owner, and if they could take that much less, they would have probably priced it lower.

Buy, Sell, or wait it out, the choice is yours. Just remember Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain once said "Buy land, they aren't making it any more!"