While opinions about the housing market can vary, there is probably more consensus than disagreement among real estate forecasters, said Delores Conway, director of the Casden Forecast at the University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate. "We are envisioning that we'll be coming in for a soft landing," Conway said. And unless there is a huge jolt, such as substantial job losses, "we don't see a very sharp drop in housing prices." Even if there is a slight drop in home prices over the next several years, many homeowners could cope with that decrease because they have already realized substantial gains in value, Conway added.
