Market expert Suzie Provo says the San Francisco Bay Area market remains very strong, and prices have remained stable with homes selling usually within 14 to 30 days.

Weekend open houses are flooded with buyers, Suzie says, and homes that are priced and staged well are in high-demand.

Inventory is still lagging the demand for this area, so this is really a sellers market, but a realistic seller's market, she says.

Suzie says that rather than try to time the market, try to buy a home in the best area, with the best schools and community, as a safeguard against future depreciation.

It still makes sense to figure at least a 3 to 5 year hold time before selling a home for profit, she says.

So what should buyers look for?

Suzie already said it -- location. Homes in good neighborhoods, away from busy streets, are highly sought-after.

And this areas strong local economy will continue to drive the need for housing.

For more information on this market contact Suzie Provo at:
wwwSuzieProvo.com.

Published: May 20, 2008

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.