Readers want to hear how you deal with the housing bubble and the people around you. "I would like to see a thread on how to deal with bubble related issues in the people around you. How have you dealt with parents who think you should buy, coworkers who somehow 'blame' you for the bubble, friends who think that house prices will go back up as soon as Bernake lowers rates, etc?"

One said, "2 sisters own 5 houses between them. My 2 sisters. It's a no win situation to discuss it now."

A reply, "Sort of the same here, except it is one sister with a huge house. 'The market is fine!' End of conversation. No sense attracting anger."

"Different with my mother, she sold her house 'while she could' and is moving into an appartment with her nest egg intact. She figured this out just from the newspaper. When I say it is a nice time to rent, she smiles. People either can read the signs, or you can’t talk to them about it."

One has this strategy, "With parents I would be obligated to tell them how I feel. Anyone else, only if they ask."

One relates, "I try to tell my parents how I feel, but it only lasts for a 2 months or so before they bother me again about how I should buy a condo or townhouse."

"My parents really aren’t the biggest problem. I have this one coworker who keeps saying its a great time to buy. When he says it, he sounds like he was hypnotized or brainwashed into saying it because it doesn’t sound natural when he says it. His wife is a real estate agent so you can see the problem."

"Another coworker who lives in West Virginia (but we work in the g"reater DC area) is convinced (really under the delusion) that his house will be going back up as soon as Bernake lowers rates. He bought at the top of the bubble in 2005 because he got married. Before he was trying to sell the house to move closer to our office, but he doesn’t want to do that now since 'prices will be going up again.'"

To which was said, "That co-worker, sounds like he not only thinks you should buy, but from his wife. Maybe you should offer to spot him a $20, since he is such a good friend."

And another added, "You have no idea how right you are. I started my current job in the second half of 2005 right around the peak. My second day of work, that coworker with the real estate agent wife says that 'I should buy a house' and gives me his wife’s business card. Even back then I was aware of the bubble so I didn’t. In the future when I buy needless to say I won’t be using that coworker’s wife services."

One gets excited at the idea of lower prices. "I get frustrated that I can’t SHARE in the excitement of more bad housing news everyday.. because no one around me will benefit from it except 'renter' me."

"It is hard to contain the excitement and not totally ostracize people. I go around the house teaching my toddler to chant 'the housing market it crashing' to the tune of 'nah-na nah-na nah-na.'"

The Journal Gazette from Indiana. "An industry association representing local Realtors is combating declining home sales with a campaign to reassure wary consumers. The Fort Wayne Area Association of Realtors on Thursday introduced a new Web site, promoting the benefits of purchasing a home."

"Reports on the subprime mortgage crisis have shaken consumer confidence, but those national problems should not affect how potential buyers view the local housing market, said Bob Coffee, the association's president-elect. Buyers can choose from many homes on the market, and prices remain affordable locally, said Coffee, a Realtor at Mike Thomas Associates/F.C. Tucker."

"'What we really have here is a consumer confidence issue,' he said, 'not a market issue.'"

"The Web site highlights the large inventory and other favorable conditions for buyers, including low interest rates around 6.5 percent, Coffee said. The association is advertising the Web site on billboards, in newspapers and on television."

"Although sales have dipped, several factors should encourage Hoosiers to consider buying homes, said Richard J. DeKaser, chief economist for National City Corp. Even if buyers must sell their current home at a lower price due to market conditions, they are likely to get a deal if they upgrade to a larger house, DeKaser said."

"Some consumers avoid buying as home prices drop, but they should be more concerned about how a house's value will change in the future, DeKaser said. If prices recover after a house changes hands, the buyer would benefit."

"'Believe it or not, that could be the best time to buy a house,' DeKaser said."