Should I purchase a home even after the tax credit expires?

I'm often asked this question by different people who are considering purchasing a home, but for whatever reason can't do so until later in the year. Some people may be changing employers, may not have the necessary down payment available or may have a home to sell before they can purchase their next home. Whatever the situation, my answer is typically YES. I'm not saying yes because I want to sell them a home, I am saying yes because when you consider other factors such as the historically low interest rates, the affordability of homes and the overall Austin real estate market and economic conditions, why wouldn't you purchase a home? This may sound a bit rehearsed, like something you would hear in a National Association of Realtors ad, but the truth is that the current interest rates that we've seen lately are some of the lowest ever. Also, when you look at not only the national but local Affordable Housing Index (AHI), homes are more affordable than ever. As most of you know, real estate is very localized and conditions differ from market to market, but luckily in the Austin area, we haven't seen the sharp decline in real estate values and overall economic conditions that many other cities across the U. S. have.In fact, if you read any of my frequent facebook or twitter posts, I am constantly posting articles from media sources such as Time Magazine, Forbes, Money and CNN about how Austin is in the top 10 cities across the U.S. in economic conditions, job growth, technology, quality of life and so on. In fact, Retirement Magazine recently named Austin the #2 city in the U.S. to retire because of the affordability of house, cost of living and overall quality of life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that purchasing a home makes sense for absolutely everyone (as we've witnessed by the mortgage meltdown), but those that have the desire and the means to purchase a home shouldn't hesitate even after the tax credit expires. If you would like any additional information about the Austin Texas real estate market or links to any of the media sources that I referenced, feel free to contact me directly at (512) 743-7820 or you can visit my website at www.romeom.com to learn more about me or to search for Austin home listings.