The Asian markets are unsettled, European markets are up, the Yen is donw, and American markets are up for the year despite the roller coaster world markets. How can a person absorb the glut of contradictory financial information? More importantly, how is one to know whether this is a good time to buy a home?

It has been said that there is no such thing as a global or even a national real estate market - only local ones. So...settle down a bit, then call for information on homes and interest rates right here in our community. That's all there is to it.

A recent National Public Radio newscast predicted that home mortgage interest rates will be stable to slightly lower in the coming months. That's great news if you want to buy a home. It continues the lengthy expansion in home sales, reduces monthly payments to record lows, and increases the buying power of prospective purchasers.

The agent you choose when buying a home can provide both mortgage information and a prequalification interview with a local mortgage lender. By learning upfront about rates, payments and the mortgage amount for which you quality, you gain an advantage when buying. You become a "qualified" purchaser, the most attractive prospect a seller could ever want. That's what gives you buying power!