It is already 2008.  I'm sure we've all heard the rhymes--basically anything that rhymes with "8".  However, the most common is "great".  And that is exactly what this year's real estate market is lining up to be, with no help from the media.  The painted "doom and gloom" picture of the real estate market selling papers around the country simply isn't true in Bozeman.  Real estate markets are local.  I would argue that there is no national real estate average.  What one market experiences is quite different than another.  Interest rates are excellent -- in the 6% range for 30-year fixed mortgages and less for 15-year mortgages.  It is a great time to buy and a great time to sell.  You may ask, sell? are you sure?  Absolutely!  

Real estate professionals will say that the best time to sell is in a "seller's market" and I would make the exact opposite plea.  When your home is for sale, no matter what the market, you will get top dollar if your house is picture perfect.  I call this "wearing it's party dress".  In a buyer's market, more care needs to be taken while getting your home ready to sell, but once that has been done, your house will shine.  And, in a buyer's market, there are simply more people shopping for houses.  Often what happens in a seller's market is that a buyer will look at just a few houses and make an offer for fear of loosing one of those houses.  In a buyer's market, however, buyers are shopping; they are looking at multiple houses and selecting the best house.  If your property is ready, priced appropriately, you will get top dollar.  And then, you have the luxury of shopping in this buyer's market!