Post season price reductions have bargain hunters eyeing the housing market for money-saving opportunities.  But if they buy now, are they in danger of "catching a falling knife"? How can you protect yourself as a home buyer, and what are the best web sites to do that?

Past client surveys show a strong interest in "defensive homebuying" strategies, but that subject has become more urgent in a time of financial turbulence & falling housing prices

Let's use Planyp.us, the event planning forum, to brainstorm about the subject by inviting questions and identifying things people would like to learn. Off the top of my head, the subtopics that come to mind include:

• How to protect your down payment
• How to grow your down payment
• Rent versus buy analysis
• Is this a good time to buy
• New lending environment
• The new economics of home buyin
• The new economics of hownership (rising fuel costs)

If anyone wants to get together tomorrow night, 5:15-6:45pm, Thursday, October 30, 2008 to brainstorm in person at TogetherInMotion about the upcoming series of "defensive homebuying" round tables, the Real Estate Cafe will provide pizza and you can bring the kids for pizza.

If you have other locations you'd like us to consider for this preliminary discussion or a future meeting, please let us know.

Finally, would you prefer that we meet in person, or allow folks to participate LIVE online via a site like uStream.tv?  Please vote in the poll below, and feel free to post a comment as well.