Real Estate Pros Gloomy on Near Future of Housing Market

The pessimists have won -- for the time being, anyway. Some 90 percent of real estate agents and brokers anticipate that home prices will fall or stay the same over the next six months, according to a new survey by HomeGain. It's interesting to note that homeowners polled were somewhat more positive about the future, with 33 percent of owners believing that home prices will drop, compared to 48 percent of real estate pros. Forty-two percent of both segments believe that home values will stay the same. Real estate agents may be more negative in their outlook because of their front-row seat at a housing crisis filled with foreclosures, short sales, and extended listing times.