However, if you are apart of the population that is indeed interest in looking for a home, and feel like your job and salary are stable enough for the purchase, then I have some good news. Depending on where you currently live, this may not apply to you. If you are located (or plan to be located) between the mid and east coast though, listen up. There are a few markets in the country that have promising real estate purchases.

Based on a few important factors that determine how a market presents itself, I have found some cities where it might actually be a great idea to consider buying. You may even find yourself with quite a bargain.

Affordability, unemployment rates, foreclosures, and price increases are four factors to consider when determining if a particular city is financially stable enough for smart home-investing. Affordability is especially important because it’s good to see the investment of a house in terms of how many years of salary will this house cost? This factor is relative to the median home cost based on how many years of salary. The fewer the years of salary costs, the better rank of affordability that the market receives.

Unemployment rates, for obvious reasons, are critical when examining a city’s stable living. If there is a high unemployment rate, then that area is probably dealing with some heavy financing issues that clearly take a toll on its inhabitants.

The amount of homes that are incapable of being paid for by the owners has a great effect on the overall real estate market of an area. Foreclosures closely identify the wealth and security of a real estate market because, obviously, the lower the foreclosures, the healthier the market is.

Finally, price increases also plays as a large indicator of the real estate’s health. If the value of homes are rising, then the overall wealth of the market will succeed too.

Based on these four factors, here are the best places that would be a considerable choice for investing in a home:

• Utica, N.Y
• Oklahoma City, Okla
• Rochester, N.Y
• Pittsburgh, Pa
• Tulsa, Okla
• Albany, N.Y
• Lancaster, Pa
• Madison, Wis
• Green Bay, Wis
• Lincoln, Neb

Whether any of these locations are suitable for you as a home buyer or not, I recommend looking into the four mentioned factors because they will help closely identify what real estate economies are looking sharp and secure for potential home buyers!

So far, Q1 has failed to meet last year’s net sales by nearly 3 million dollars, as has the net income, falling behind 2010’s results by an incredible 2.16 million.

It shouldn’t shock anyone to know that home ownership is on the decline. With an increase in foreclosures, a tough job market and President Obama backing off from policies that encourage home ownership, it’s no wonder. Obviously, the loss of jobs in our economy and the downgrade of income has put a lot of input into the market, as has the decrease in housing supply. That’s right, I read the other day that the real estate market is actually encouraging buyers to consider building houses instead because of our dwindling number of move-in-ready homes. It makes sense, that we’d see a threat to the number of built houses available, since deforestation, clean water, and polluted air all seem to relate as a result of over-populated areas.

I’m very curious as to what will happen in the following quarters if numbers continue on this rapid decline. The current trend is a little scary for potential home owners, like myself, who would one day like to move away from renting. At the height of real estate market, the rate of home ownership nationally was 69%. In 2010, the rate dropped to 66.9%. All of those things are reflecting in the home ownership rate that is still somewhat declining, and it’s generally favoring the rental market.

I read in a recent LA Times article, that 25-to-29 year-olds are looking towards renting more than home ownership.There are several reasons for this:

-  Shrinking middle class wealth (Mom & Dad used to be able to help the kids out with home buying and that is less likely now)

-  Large student debt

-  Uncertainty in the job market makes the flexibility of renting more desirable

This information is actually pretty concerning for me personally, as I’m sure it is for many other individuals of my generation who are in the awkward in-between of renting for a few years and hoping to own one day. Hopefully, like most things in our economy, these numbers will fluncuate again and there will be a calming gap of decent home ownership!

It is said that we need one and a half million houses per year just to keep up with population growth. And then if you throw in, you know, fires and tear-downs and just worn-out properties, we need even more—roughly 1.6 million or more per year. Right now, we’re down to about six and a half, seven months’ inventory whether you look at new homes or existing homes.

Maybe it’s because home buyers are focused on the quick, easy, assisted home purchase that can take effect immediately. Personally, if I had the option of buying a new house, I would love to be able to build. The process of choosing a floor plan, personalizing the layout, and creating a team of designers, contractors, and builders makes for a lot of work don’t get me wrong, but what an unbelievable project to put under your belt!

To be able to inhabit a personally created home, raise a family, and develop memories with your loved ones sounds irreplaceable to me.

Especially with a rising market, houses that are already equipped with modern appliances and features are most likely going to shoot the price through the roof. For those who are up for it, what about the possibility of fixing up a foreclosure? There are so many fixer-uppers out there that uninhabited and unknown that one might think is incapable of ever being legitimate.

I believe that more potential home buyers should start thinking outside of the box. In order to help our real estate market, we should start being more objective in home buying and become more willing to do the work that goes into creating your masterpiece.

But while the 2010 outlook appears inviting, there’s one key catch. You need to have a stable job. The economy is showing signs of life, but the unemployment rate is already at 10 percent and expected to go higher. And while those mortgage rates are attractive, buying a house makes sense only if you can bank on your income stream. So before you consider purchasing a home, take a hard look at your job, your company, and your industry.

After more than three years of falling, real estate values have shown signs of stabilization in recent months. At the national level, home prices slid nearly 9 percent between the third quarter of 2008 and the same period this year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price report. That’s a notable improvement from the second quarter’s nearly 15 percent annual drop and the first quarter’s 19 percent decline. This improvement will give way to a bottom in home prices—finally!—in 2010, but not before additional declines. It’s projected that home prices will hit bottom in the third quarter of 2010 after logging a peak-to-trough decline of roughly 37 percent, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller national home price index.

With prices still falling, mortgage rates remaining historically attractive, and additional homes hitting the market in the form of foreclosures, the dynamics of the real estate market will continue to favor buyers over sellers in 2010. That means those looking to buy a home next year should not feel pressured to act impulsively. You don’t need to have a sense of urgency, but understand that as time progresses the balance of power as we get into 2010 is going to slowly but surely shift away from buyers. It’s is not going to be a strong seller’s market, but it will be more evenly distributed as the year goes on. Data from the real estate firm Zillow show that home buyers are already losing the leverage they once enjoyed. While home buyers landed a median discount of 4.6 percent off listing prices in January, the size of the gap fell to 2.7 percent by October. Expect this gap to close further as 2010 marches on.

Amid falling home prices and a nasty labor market, roughly 1 in every 7 mortgages was either past due or in foreclosure by the end of the third quarter—the highest delinquency rate in the 37-year history of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey. Two factors are expected to drive delinquencies even higher next year. First, nearly 1 in 4 homeowners currently owes more on their mortgage than the property is worth, which increases their odds of default. And secondly, the national unemployment rate—which already stands at 10 percent—will peak at about 10.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010. Additional job losses mean more borrowers won’t be able to pay their mortgage bills.

Perhaps if you were thinking of purchasing a home within the next few years, you should consider taking action now. Mortgage, tax, and prices are on the rise, and you can potentially avoid all the unfortunate changes that are in the works for the real estate market.

What is a foreclosure and how does it occur? When a homeowner (borrower) is unable to make his/her house payments for a certain period of time the foreclosure process kicks in. Being in this status means the borrower has now lost ownership of the property and the lending company is able to sell the property to the highest bidder at a Public auction.

With the economy the way it is, one of the devastating results has been a massive amount of foreclosures nationwide. Which if you are an investor, this can be a great thing to take advantage of.

If you live near the Seattle area, ForeclosurePlatform.com has available resources detailing every foreclosure in all of Western Washington. On a continuous basis, properties are updated with any changes that may occur from auction sale dates to opening bid amounts and even postponed properties and cancellations. If you are looking for Seattle short sales, it is the best website to keep you up to date.

Read why foreclosures are undervalued and why they create great investments to buyers. There are many reasons to purchase foreclosed properties and the greatest advantage is the price reduction! If you want to learn more about foreclosures click here.

1. Panama City, Florida - Coming in at number one with a 72% predicted gain in the next 5 years! With housing prices that are still reasonably low it is considered the next place waiting to break out.

2. Vero Beach, Florida - At number two it is predicted to grow 64% in the next 5 years. With low property taxes, the cost of living 3% less then surrounding areas and the best surfing on the east coast - you can’t go wrong with this choice.

3. Bridgeport, Connecticut -For number three it is predicted to grow 63% in the next 5 years pretty close to our runner two area above. You can thank New York for sending over all the young working professionals.

4. Lakeland, Florida - Yes Florida again! This time coming it at number 4 with 59% growth expected over the next 5 years. With houses going to for a fifth less then the national average - you can’t help but want to jump on this area.

5. McAllen, Texas - Coming in at number 5 with 57% expected growth.

One thing is for sure Hawaii is a sure bet. Hawaii has beautiful weather year round so you cannot go wrong. My fiancé and I are going to Maui. We are staying in Kihei for 10 days and I am really looking forward to it! But what if you want to go somewhere else for your honeymoon?

Depending on the atmosphere you are after there are many good choices. If you are looking for hot tropical weather Aruba, Barbados and Tahiti are great places to escape. Places to avoid include Jamaica and the Bahamas the reason is because these times of year are known for hurricanes in these areas.

If you are looking to escape somewhere with cooler weather Canada, Iceland and Alaska are all good choices. If I were to choose a cooler place to go I would say an Alaskan cruise would be amazing! That was my second choice when it came to our honeymoon destination.

If you wanted to travel internationally Europe unfortunately is a place to avoid. It is crowded, hot and full of tourists. It is best to wait to go there during January and February when it is cool and less crowded.

Best of Luck where ever you go!

Another thing that is great about San Francisco is the deco skyscrapers and my personal favorite Golden Gate Park. Where else in the world can you go and experience funky neighborhoods and museums along with the greatest dining around?

Now I live in Portland so if I choose to get married in San Francisco I am going to need to find someone that does San Francisco wedding photography. Choosing a destination wedding can be a lot of fun but make sure to do your research. As I bride I know how important it is to have all of the details – especially if you a re choosing a destination wedding.

Some things I recommend you look at before choosing your location are cost, availability and resources available in that location. To create the perfect wedding you have to have the right budget and resources available!

Syracuse New York is one of the best real estate areas with an estimated growth of 1.2%

Rochester New York comes in at number two with .03% growth

Buffalo New York comes in at number 4 with .01% growth

As for the real estate markets to stay away from - check out the list below.

Providence Massachusetts is expected to have -2.1%

Nassau-Suffolk New York is expected to have  -5.7%

Edison New Jersey is expected to have -3.1%

I would defiantly stay away from the last three places I just listed. If you can aim for the top three places listed if you are going to attempt to purchase a home in this economy. My advice is to hold on to your money until we see greater positive changes

Chicago comes in at number two with a 9.4% metro area unemployment rate and the cost of living trailing only Los Angeles and New York. But you do not get to enjoy sunny beaches like you can in Los Angles - this is the windy city! Chicago has both extreme summers and winters.

Coming in at number three is Miami. Which again at least this city can offer sunny beaches and warm weather.

Number four is New York City… you guessed it! With New York’s high costs and an 8.8% unemployment rate the odds are not in anyone’s favor. Even people with the earning power of a bachelor’s degrees–$69,200 per year, on average, according to PayScale.com–still not enough income to bridge the gap.

Cleveland comes in at number five with high unemployment rates and low average salaries.

If you have the choice be sure to steer clear of these areas…unless you make enough money to live happily anywhere you choose ?