QUOTE (GarthChapman @ Dec 21 2008, 01:51 PM) Well said actually. You describe why it is important to view things from afar and over a longer term - so you get a more complete picture. An additional challenge is that this is not like a view of a static landscape scene - you have to incorporate the dimension of time into the picture.
indeed .. plus the dimension that some markets are falling why others are already on the rise or at least flat .. 2009 will be a good buying year .. as in many markets (not all though) looking back in the 2010 rearview mirror many a person will say "damn, I should have bought summer 2009 when prices were 10% lower or terms on a VTB could have been very good or many choice in the new condo project were deeply discounted ..."
Despite all the ongoing bad news the stock market is already higher than November 2008 by quite a bit and some stocks are up 30% to even 50% from their bottom (for example: some car companies, some financial institutions) !!! Real estate and the stock market are closely correlated .. so while not all markets or stocks or real estate classes will go up at the same time or pace I am quite sure "the bottom" is near .. or surpassed or reached in some US or Mexico or Canadian markets !