Why the Globe doesn't tell it all...

This is my first post, of many I hope. I promise to improve as I go along...

I have the Boston Globe in front of me and I am reading "State home sales decline in May." My first reaction is "but it's June 24th!! We all knew this data 3 weeks ago." At least I posted my market reports on-line 3 weeks ago.  My second reaction is that it is so negative and doesn't tell the whole story, especially not for my neighborhood. If you weed through the details of the article you find that inside the 495 belt things are not as bad as they show in the headlines. Home prices are only down 3.2% and condo prices are unchanged. In point of fact home prices in Woburn and Lexington are up!  The challenge that I see is that the media seems to like to throw gas on any fire. I'm not denying the reality of the mortgage crisis, nor the fact that things are slow, but there are two key points that they are missing, the first is that your local market cannot be judged by general market statistics that is why you need to work with a knowledgeable local realtor. The second is that for many, this is a great buying opportunity, looking at discounted regular properties, or short sales, or even bank owned properties, all can represent bargains that have not been around for 5 or more years! The job market is strong, salaries haven't fallen back to 2002 levels, so for many, real estate is more affordable than it has ever been.  I don't know why the Globe can't run the headline "Lower home prices offer the best buying opportunity in 5 years!" and stimulate some optimism rather than deepening the gloom. Maybe it's just me being a Pollyanna but there is some silver in this cloud....