When interest rates are low and available property inventories are high, you may find a more attractive climate in which to invest, as you stand a better chance to recover your cash investment from the real estate deal. According to experts at www.MSN.com and www.Bankrate.com, real estate values plummeted $3.6 trillion in 2008, but “only” $489 billion in the first 11 months of 2009. So the base prices of real estate generally are at or near all-time lows, thought by many experts to be a great time to purchase.