The Wall Street Journal Report "Your Money Matters" in today's  (Monday) edition features an essay that should be of interest to those contemplating purchase of a second home or relocating to a permanent home.  Contributing Editor Dave Kansas sees a warming trend in the housing market through the comments and actions of others.  He says most of his "risk-taking friends" are not headed into the stock market but rather into real estate, sensing the current housing market as "the perfect opportunity to find something at a bargain-basement price."  But Mr. Kansas' friends are no fools rushing in:  He reports they have no desire to "'stretch too far in making a purchase...They want to be doubly sure before making a move."

         As if to validate the point, a Golf Community Reviews reader wrote me yesterday that he and his wife are beginning

         And as I have written here ad nauseum before, if you are buying your dream home on the course to live out most of your retirement days, not to flip it in a year or two, it doesn't matter whether you buy at the precise bottom of the market or a little after the market starts to come back.  As Mr. Kansas sums up his article, "it's about buying something that you can touch, feel and see -- and imagine holding onto for a long time."

         The article is posted at wsjonline.com.  If you cannot access it, drop me a note and I will email you a copy.