Nobody can reliably time the bottom, us included, and holding out for it tends to backfire. Prices might dip a little after you buy, or they might drift up while you wait. Both are real possibilities. People who hold out for the exact low often end up buying later in a rising market, or never buying at all. The better questions are personal: - Can you comfortably afford the payment without counting on a future refinance? - Does the home fit your life for the next five to seven years or longer? - Are your income, relationship, and location stable enough to stay put? If you are shopping for a place you would happily keep for a decade, short-term price wiggles matter far less than whether the purchase fits your life. A few things worth watching without over-weighting them: how far below list homes are actually selling in your specific area, how long they sit, and whether inventory is building (it usually does heading into spring). Desirable, turnkey homes in good locations tend to hold up even when a market softens, because most buyers with limited cash want move-in-ready. If it helps to see your real numbers, the free Roadmap conversation (about 20 minutes) will show you what a payment actually looks like for you.