Anyone slowing down on purchases due to a possible correction?

[Will M.]

Hello,

I'm new to RE investing and actively searching for my first multifamily property. That said, as my plan is to hold these properties for my retirement, I'm apprehensive to get into the market now as it appears we may be due for a correction. As someone who lived through the crash in Vegas in 2008, I'd hate to buy at the top only to see the value significantly drop soon after. Been there before and it's no fun. It seems like it makes sense to sit out a year or so, wait for the correction, and then jump in with more buying power.  

That said, I'm curious what seasoned investors think about this mindset. 

Thank you in advance for your insight.

[Russell Brazil]

Time is the greatest ally of the buy and hold investor.  Time erases all mistakes. Even if you bought at the height of the market, and held on, You would have paid that mortgage down for 10-12 years by now.  You only lose money if you sell.  

Since WW2, prices have only dropped twice on a national level, and only the one from a decade ago was a significant amount.

Now if your market is more cyclical like Phoenix or San Francisco, then maybe you proceed with caution...but many markets are not cyclical. They go up, then flatten, then go up, then flatten.

And one of the great things about the last housing collapse.....so many home owners became renters, so rentals had strong demand. Rents skyrocketed in a ton of markets with the housing collapse.