1st-timers can get bargains in buyer's market

It's no secret that home buyers can grab real-estate bargains during an economic down cycle. Even in many prime neighborhoods, homeowners who wouldn't budge on price just a few months ago are now willing to negotiate in earnest, says Mark Nash, a real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home."

By Ellen James Martin

November 22, 2007