We're one week into the New Year , but that's not stopping market "experts" from predicting what's in store for 2009.

The predictions on housing and mortgage rates run the gamut:

• 50% of the Economist predict Home prices will continue to decline
• The other 50% predict Home prices have touched bottom
• Forbes predicts Mortgage rates will dip
• Bloomberg says Mortgage rates will rise

After interpreting and analyzing it all, what becomes crystal clear is that the experts have no better idea about what the future holds than you or I.  Their guesses are educated ones, but they are guesses just the same.

So, before you embrace economists' predictions about the demise (or recovery) of the broader economy to make "personal economy" decisions, consider that the all to often quoted experts have a much better track record analyzing the past than predicting the future.

All we know for sure right now is that home prices and interest rates are lower this year than they were the same time last year.  By 2010, both could be even lower.

Or maybe they won't!