The first point I would make is that information on the internet is only as good as its providers. While it has helped many in making economic decisions, it probably has hindered as many. It seems ironic that one of the biggest crashes of recent years was brought about by the information age. Perhaps we still haven’t quite got to grips with it.
If, as many seem to suggest, the economy in the US is becoming more service industry based, and less manufacturing based, then you can expect more volatility. The RE market also seems to have changed, from how mortgages are sourced to the impact they can have on the stock market. Whereas one may have been a hedge against the other, it seems they are now more closely linked. If at one time the housing market would slow as a result of a slowing economy, it now seems the reverse is true. Therefore, I don’t see how it is possible, with any degree of accuracy, to predict time scales for a recovery with so many imponderables. I think the internet has given us the tools to see cause and effect up close, but it doesn’t necessarily give us the tools to change it, at least not with the alacrity we would like.
