…resisting this “buy now” sentiment in 2003 was a disaster for bitter renters like myself who read the bubble talk and acted on it too early at 50% of current prices.

This was no more of a “disaster” than failing to buy overpriced Cisco stock in 1998 when there were still 2 more years to go in that speculative bubble. To capitalize on a speculative bubble, you have to time two events correctly, both the entry and the exit. Many people can get one right, it’s rare when someone gets both right, and even rarer still are those who are able to time it for maximum gain.

A real disaster is being underwater to the tune of $100K+, as I’m sure many of your Vegas “homeowner” neighbors will soon be.