Look at History. As the stock market was in turmoil, during the 1920s, and Joseph Kennedy, Sr. was head of the SEC, he took his fortune from the stock market and invested in undervalued real estate. When Ross Perot cashed out of General Motors, he invested a significant postion of those proceeds in Dallas and Northern Virginia real estate. Housing is underpriced; interest rates, for those who can qualify, are still remarkably low; and there are creative financing options such as Lease to Own. Add to that the number of "free and clear" properties which owners might consider selling with owner financing; there probably is no better time for home owner or investor to purchase quality real estate. For the record, I am neither a Realtor or Mortgage Broker; just a student of history.