Knowing when to buy and when to sell is the biggest challenge of successful investing. Of course, that’s also true when it comes to one of the biggest investments most people make in their lifetimes – home purchasing. You could ask 10 different people if now is a good time to buy a home and get 10 different opinions and rationale for them.

In their National Housing Survey for August 2014, Fannie Mae did ask 1,000 consumers. The results showed an interesting finding – the percentage of people who think now is a good time to buy a home dropped to its lowest level – just 64%. Not surprisingly, the number of people who think now is a good time to sell also dropped to just 38% as shown below.

So what does that mean? Do the people in this survey know something that others don’t about home buying? Economic statistics aside, the decision of whether or not to buy a home really comes down to one single, but highly complex factor – you. You may have to purchase a bigger home to accommodate your family, or downsize to a smaller home that works better for your budget.

Whatever your need, there are some reasons that still make now an attractive time for home buying. Mortgage rates, for example, are still at relatively low levels (4.24% APR on a 30-year mortgage in bankrate.com’s weekly national mortgage analysis on September 3). And though housing prices have grown some, they are increasing at a slower, steady pace. Add to that, the fact that rent prices have increased significantly, and you have a strong case for home purchasing.

The good news is that lenders are still making mortgage loans. At DNB First, for example, we are more committed than ever to making homeownership possible through our new mortgage lending division. You can learn more about our mortgage offerings at dnbfirst.com.

So when it comes to that all important question of “to buy or not to buy,” it really comes down to one thing – you.