3/30    What's a good source to get historical data of VOLUME
        and price of home sales? Something like Etrade data for real estate.
        \_ Look. Here's the deal. The real estate market in CA is nearing
           a top. If historical patterns hold, prices will decrease
           somewhere about 30% over the course of a couple of years and
           then stay flat for another 5 years or so. After about 7 years
           they will be back to where they are now and eventually they
           will surpass current prices. If you are buying a house as a
           short-term investment then don't. If you need a place to live
           and are renting then do it if you find a place you can
           comfortably afford to keep for 7-10 years. Will saving 15-30%
           on your house price be worth it to you to wait and see what
           happens? I guess that depends on your situation.
           \_ Yeah, but if housing prices go up again 20% this year, your
              advice would be terrible.
              \_ nah, that just means a harder landing in the future.
              \_ No, it's not terrible in that case. The advice is to buy
                 a place if you can comfortably afford it. If you can't
                 now then you won't then either. However, it seems obvious
                 to everyone that the 20% annual appreciation is going to
                 take a breather. I don't think anyone is on that boat.