[Abcdxxxx]

It's a great time to buy. Low interest rates (your parents probably had a mortgage with 18% interest just to compare) and lots of inventory. If you find a house you like that you can qualify for, you won't have to worry about a bidding war. Stuff is still going over asking price in some cases, but they won't laugh at you if you make a decent offer (as opposed to a few years ago when there would be 8 offers all over asking price, no joke). Anyway, yeah if you find a house you can afford, in an area you like, or know is up and coming, then it's always great time to buy. Best to ignore the real estate predictions and judge by what you see when you hit the market. Oh, and find a good agent who's been around the business longer then say 4 years. The new agents don't know what it's like doing business when the market wasn't hot, so they're the ones in a panic.