'Homeowners who want to trade up are stuck waiting'

from latimes.........

"Back in the frothy days of 2007, Luciano Mor needed only a weekend and a Craigslist ad to find a buyer for his two-bedroom starter home.

The split-level house, on a quiet Silver Lake street, sold for $749,000, commanding nearly twice what he paid in 2002 and about $50,000 more than a real estate agent had suggested as a listing price. Mor, who works for Vans' apparel division, had planned on taking the gains and snapping up a place closer to his job in Cypress with enough room to accommodate an expanding family.

It was the kind of life progression that traditionally fuels a healthy housing market. Then prices started to drop. Nearly four years later, Mor is still looking for the right deal.

"I just feel like the longer I hold off, the better I will be," Mor said, sitting in the living room of the Long Beach home he and his wife rent. "It's almost like getting a new car — you just know it's best to hold on to your old car as long as possible"...................READ MORE