[TomW]

Let me just throw this out there and hopefully someone can vouch for it or refute it, --- my general sense of pricing is that the prices of new housing won't go much lower, however, I don't think they are going up anytime soon either. Thus we have a 'U' shaped bottom rather than a 'V' shaped bottom. I fully realize no one can accurately call a bottom (or top) so these thoughts are just based on watching the prices over the last several months and adding that info to comments from you all and others. I'm guessing this general situation will continue for at least 6 months and perhaps as long as 18. I know these are wide points but it is a thoughtful guess rather than something calculated.

As to the buy-rent scenario, which will likely be our situation too, I figure we have at least a few more months in which to select and purchase a property. A significant change in the interest rates could affect the timing as well.