Warren Buffet, the "Oracle of Omaha" in an interview with CNBC says that single family homes are now cheap and attractive investments that are "probably as an attractive an investment as you can make now." (See the complete story at  http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/306749/20120229/real-estate-forecast-2012-warren-buffett.htm.)

And Donald Trump in a recent interview on CNBC said "Housing is one of the great investments right now. I tell people all the time when they come up to me, they say, "What should I do, Mr. Trump?" I say go buy a house,"

I'm obviously not in  the same category as these 2 investment mogels, but I too, feel that now is an excellent time to buy. In fact, I recently purchased a duplex for my own portfolio in the San Francisco Bay Area and it is pumping out cash. I have also been making offers for clients in Marin and Sonoma counties and am finding that, at least for lower priced homes, the days of multiple offers and sales prices over the asking price are back.

Sentiment among those I talk to is that we may have hit bottom or will soon do so. In about 2 weeks I will have the figures from my 1st quarter Marin pricing analysis, so stay tuned to see if this sentiment is reflected in closed sale prices.