Have the home prices hit the bottom? How will we know? Is it the media that will tell you? Will you buy your home at the bottom or will you see the prices go up and then buy? These are all important questions to ask yourself if you're thinking about buying or selling a home.

After all my years in real estate I've seen the ups and downs and the secret is, not all properties hit rock bottom at the same time. Many properties and areas have already hit bottom which means homes in those areas have already been purchased. Somebody else got the deal.

Some properties will never hit bottom; the sellers will simply remove them from the market and re-list then in better, more expensive times. I like to describe the market like this: If I threw a handful of small balls in the air they would not all hit the ground at the same time. They'd all bounce at different times, just like individual house prices.

This is where a full-time, professional REALTOR comes in handy. REALTORS like myself watch home sales in our market areas and are able to give you the proper advice. Do you listen to the media for your advice? I've had several clients recently tell me they've "heard that the market was really bad" which if you're talking as a seller it may look that way. If you're a buyer you are now buying your home at a GREATLY REDUCED price from a few years ago...even a few months ago.

Has anyone in the media told you we've had larger numbers of sales in the last 3 months then in the last 24 months? I guess that wouldn't be "new worthy" but that's exactly what has happened. If you're thinking about buying or selling a home please invest your future in a full-time REALTOR that takes their profession serious. Not someone that got into the business during the boom thinking they could get rich and never learned the important lessons of a down market.

Call me for more information on the current market conditions or simply listen in to my monthly podcast at www.ThePhoenixRealEstateAdvisor.com and click "Podcast".