You might be wondering if buying a home right now is a smart financial decision. The fact is, homeownership is key to building long-term wealth, no matter when someone buys. Studies show that, over time, most homeowners will steadily build equity. For example, during the past three decades, home values have increased an average of more than 6.0% per year.

The emphasis on long-term values means there's no need to mention the pesky fact that average home prices did not rise 6 percent last year, but presumably most people are aware of that already -- after all, the NAR's press release this week says "some potential home buyers are being kept on the sidelines as they react to national media reports about the housing market."

Click HERE for the press release and HERE for the page where you can find the ads.