When prices are falling few people have the discipline to buy stocks, a house, gold, art or any other asset.  But, for those who do "pull the trigger" excel in the long run.  As John D. Rockefeller famously said,"The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets."
     In Marin County there are some areas where the streets are stained crimson (Novato). Consider this, the stock market is being pummeled, oil per barrel prices are going through the roof, and there's panic that we're in a recession.  The Fed rate cuts will lift the economy eventually, and the stock market wil typically starts responding just as the headlines get their gloomiest.  Sure, the market could fall again before recovering, but the "Recession" may be half over already - or we may avoid one all together. You just never know.
    But, let's say you're emotionally ready to be a homeowner.  You have good credit, plan to stay put for the next five years and have been waiting for the perfect entry point. Well, it may be time to get serious - before an inevitable rise in interest rates wipes out your advantage.  "The thing that will make home prices stop falling is the same thing that will push mortgage rates higher," says Lending Trees chief economist Jim Syinth.  So,anything you gain by a further drop in prices might be offset by rising financial costs.
    It's more complicated if you must sell before you can buy.  But, that logjam won't persist forever - and if it appears you'll be trapped for a few years, try to refinance at today's lower rates.  Risk always seem most acute when the headlines give you ulcers.  But that's exactly when you should think long term - and get off your thumbs.
    Ignore the headlines!