does it really make sense for me to invest now?

[Brian Campbell]

I have been looking at homes that are at just 25 percent of their 2004-2006 sale prices and are now 100k and under. I only have 20k in ready cash and am looking at 20 percent down.

If I put my cash into a house and the value drops another 20 percent (which I have heard is likely) then I would have just lost all my cash. My plan is to buy when homes begin to increase to avoid not hitting the bottom because no one is sure where that bottom is.

I have heard repeatedly that anytime is a good time to invest. I see homes that are still overpriced to me, junk for 100k and it makes me challenge that philosophy.

My wife likes a house we saw for 75k and i"m trying to convince her we need to exercise restraint and just gather information. We are looking to buy our first rental property, and we plan to add on over the years and hold for cash flow.

Can someone convince me why anyone should be buying now?