Is the real estate bubble set to pop? It's quite possible, according to several noted economists and industry analysts who point to two key danger signs: runaway home prices and a flurry of buyers purchasing second and third homes as high-yield, short-term investments. Housing market experts say they see more people who are invested in the residential real estate market continuing to gamble that housing prices will keep going up indefinitely. Those who purchase multiple properties with the intent to turn them over as values rise (i.e., speculation) are particularly at risk. "You can't have 15-percent price appreciation forever; something has to give here," said David Lereah, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors. He referred to last year, in which the median home price in the U.S. broke the 200,000 dollars mark for the first time (206,000 dollars).
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