We asked: With housing prices down, is this a good time to buy real estate?
Absolutely a terrific time to buy. It may not be quite the bottom of the market (who knows?), but I'll bet those investing now will say it was a great move a few years from now.
Jack Keefe, St. Petersburg
Excellent time to buy. With all the foreclosures and short sales, you can pick up properties at 2003 prices.
Rick Kaough, St. Petersburg
Excellent time to buy a home due to falling prices, but only if you are in a position to handle it. Buy one that is affordable for you as well as one that accommodates your family's personal needs.
Dot Bourdon, Safety Harbor
Now would be a terrific time to carefully select and buy real estate. Costs to build are not going to go down, and Florida will continue to attract people coming here to live because of all that Florida has to offer.
John McBaine, Largo
The prices are bottoming out, so if you have secure employment, a good credit rating and plan to stay in Florida for a while, go for it. Once the builders and speculators go through these idle new homes, you may not ever see these prices again.
Lamar Sprouse, Weeki Wachee
I believe there is a permanent glut of homes, especially in outlying areas away from cities and major beaches. There are still a lot of investor- and bank-owned homes, and there are not enough people to buy them and live in them. Anyone buying needs a long horizon.
Nancy Schreimann, Tarpon Springs
Great time to buy now, with home prices back to the real value and the new amendment so you can carry your exemption to the new home. Just be smart enough to know you can make the monthly payments.
Stefan Sommers, St. Petersburg
You asked
All my investments are in mutual funds, on which I pay income taxes for the dividends they earn each year. How long am I required to keep these records?
For taxable accounts, keep records that establish your cost for as long as you own the investments. Otherwise you may have difficulty calculating gain or loss when you sell.
This is a particular issue if you reinvest dividends to buy more shares, because that increases your cost basis. Many brokers have begun showing cost basis on account statements, but they may not have it for long-ago purchases.
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