While much of the country is crouched in the corner in the fetal position waiting for the real estate market to retreat from its attack on home owners, folks in most markets in Texas should be as active as ever.  The overwhelming majority of national media is stuck in a cycle of piggybacking each others stories on the bursting of the real estate bubble and the sub prime loan debacle.  Oh, they also decided that we are now in a recession. 

The truth of the matter is that there are quite a few markets in America that weren't experiencing the dramatic increases in property values in the late 1990's and early 2000's that have caused the inevitable market correction that is happening now.  As any intelligent investor knows, capitalist markets are efficient and will generally correct their own missteps.  While the coastal markets and a few other recently "Hot" markets experience the resetting of appropriate property values and experience drops in sales prices and exponentially longer sale cycles, markets like Dallas, Texas are generally very attractive. 

Average appreciation in Dallas, Texas has been somewhere between three and six percent over the last decade.  Since 2006 we've seen a slight slow down in that number.  We've dipped in some parts of the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex to a basically neutral market with little or no gains or losses.  Relative to the rest of the country, this is fantastic.  Even better, several parts of town that are taking active rolls in the growth of their community are still experiencing the five and six percent gains that were familiar five years ago. 

The few media outlets with a clue about individual markets have named Dallas, Texas one of the top five real estate markets in the United States.  These predictions are not only for 2008, but many insightful experts predict that Dallas and other Texas markets like Houston, San Antonio and El Paso will continue to be America's strongest real estate markets for years to come.  In Dallas specifically, job growth is very strong.  Many corporations are moving into Dallas and surrounding suburbs due to the relatively low cost of loving.  School districts in most Dallas suburbs are far above the national averages in test scores and many other performance points.  A favorable climate and notoriously clean and entertaining reputation make Dallas as desirable as any US city. 

Investors are picking up on this first and are buying up properties at a rapid pace.  HUD homes are flying off of the market and Sellers who are willing to price aggressively are moving properties quickly. 

Buyers should be thinking, "When will I be able to find a better market to purchase a home in?" 

They will then find a very clear answer, "Never."  Prices haven't increased in two years, interest rates are amazingly low, there are plenty of homes to choose from, buyers can call most of their own shots and the awareness of the health of our market is finally beginning to penetrate the lemming mentality of the media.  Soon the weather will change and the more aggressive and firm prices will return with the flowers and the buyers.

Buy now or pay for it later.