I have read enough about savvy, successful real estate investors to realize they have at least one thing in common:  when all the others do - they do not and when everyone else does not, they do.  What this means is that when everyone else was buying up real estate properties in a frenzy a few years ago, driving up prices by demand, many investors sat on the sidelines waiting for prices to begin to come back down.  Now that the market has fallen and prices have declined, many are now back into buying up good properties in excellent locations that they know will again appreciate in value.  That is why realtors keep saying that now truly is the time to buy!  Similarly on Wall Street, many purchase stocks when no one else is buying and prices are low.  Real estate has always been a good investment and still is - as long as the buyer knows the right time to buy, is willing to hold on to the property for a few years, and then chooses the right time to sell.  The days of "immediate profit" are gone, but back is more stability in knowing that the market will once again begin to appreciate in normal annual growth rates and will once again be an excellent long term investment.  With not many interested in buying, now IS the best time to do so!  You have a wide range of inventory to choose from, excellent competitive prices with sellers willing to negotiate, and the surety of prices only going UP in the future.  Those who have the courage to "not follow the crowd" usually end up with the most success!