Learned this from experience. Real estate prices are a function of supply and demand. Buy into a market where the population/job market is declining then be sur

Learned this from experience. Real estate prices are a function of supply and demand. Buy into a market where the population/job market is declining then be sure that the prices will fall. Buy into a market where the population is increasing then watch the prices rise. It won't be straight up but long term they will rise. Determine if you will stick around and which way the population numbers are moving then you can decide whether to buy or rent. In Los Angeles, people are always bitching about housing costs. But as long as people want to live there, it will always be a good time to buy vs rent -if you plan to stick around. Sure there will be declines but house prices will increase in the long run.