PUNXSUTANY PHIL saw his shadow on Saturday, which means the chubby groundhog is forecasting another six weeks of winter.

But even though the temperatures are frigid, Buyers have certainly warmed up to the idea that NOW is a GREAT time to buy a home!  With interest rates at an incredible 5.5%, enthusiasm for buying a home is being rekindled.

Is it a good time to be a Seller?  The truth of the matter is that here in the Louisville, Kentucky marketplace, prices have pretty much flatlined since 2006.  We're not seeing the predictable 3-5% yearly appreciation that we used to take for granted.  But it's all relative.  While you might not make a killing on the selling end, you may  make it up on the buying side.  And with low interest rates like these, you've got a lot more buying power than you did just a few weeks ago.

Jacki and Jerry Shafer specialize in residential home sales in eastern Jefferson County (Louisville), Oldham, Henry, Trimble and Shelby counties in Kentucky.