Great time to buy a home, but buyers are afraid

I am talking to several buyers who think that, because the real estate market is depressed, it is not a good time to buy. This is wrong. With prices down, this is the perfect time to buy. You never hit the exact top or bottom when you are buying or selling investments (like stocks or the real estate market). It's just hard to BUY when everybody is selling. Makes you think that everybody must be right and you are wrong. However, the smart invbestor knows you have to buy low and sell high. The real estate market is "low" right now in the DC area. Once it picks up again, it will very difficult to buy homes again unless you have a lot of cash, like it was for the past 5 years. Bob