Is everybody as confused as I am?

Maybe not the confidence-instilling phrase you want to hear from the guy you're trusting to finance the largest asset you'll likely ever own, representing roughly 70% of our net worth (on average). But in the current topsy-turvy financial market where the next big announcement is anybody's guess, it really is just that.

Instead of focusing on what I don't know, let's consider what I do:

"Now" continues to be an incredibly smart time to buy a home. Many of the reasons are real estate related and I'll let you talk to your Real Estate professional for those points while I touch on the financial reasons:

For first-time home buyers, there are down payment assistance programs; a $7,500 tax credit; an opportunity to contribute substantially toward retirement. And there are a lot of homes to choose from.

For move-up buyers, there are HUGE benefits to buying up in a down market -- I did say I was going to stick to the finance questions but this one is such a huge benefit it at least deserves honorable mention. And there are a lot of homes to choose from.

Contrary to many of the messages in the media, there are plenty of mortgage lenders out there! And, surprise surprise, they want to make new loans, that's what they do! They're being more cautious these days, justifiably so with the increase in loan defaults. That may translate into borrowers putting more focus on their own credit history, spending habits, and maintaining a comfortable "debt-to-income ratio" and less focus on finding out the absolute maximum they can qualify for, but maybe that's not such a bad thing...

The long and short of it is that there are good loans to be made, there are people who want to buy homes, and there are people who want to sell homes so they can also buy. Our local economy is healthy, our housing market is stable. Let's keep the national statistics in perspective and take the local headlines in stride, and rely on trusted professionals in real estate, lending, accounting, financial and retirement planning to give us the real story.

If you don't have a professional in one of those areas, ask another professional who they would recommend, because our referrals carry our names, too.

By the way -- it really is the best time in many, many years to buy a home!