Short on savings
One of the most disappointing parts of a potentially lucrative real estate market is having a modest nest egg but not quite enough to take advantage of a real estate market that offers excellent opportunity. An advantage to being short on savings to take advantage of this real estate market is that you are closer to taking advantage of the real estate market then others. The real estate advice in this instance is to not jump too quickly. A solid savings and investment plan will turn into an advantage if you do it right. Move to soon and you might end-up digging yourself a whole you cannot get out of later - which is what generated the current housing problem of today.
Investment ready
If you're on the savings side of the equation that see's a solid pool of investment money that needs some place to go other then a retreating stock market. The real estate market is a prime place to look for investment. The real estate advice here is to put your money to work in a market that holds opportunities everywhere. This real estate advice is solid in today's real estate market with the one provision that the real estate you decide to get into should not require to much effort to manage or rehab because it could be seen as a flip property more then anything else -save a vacation home.
The biggest disadvantages
If you are tied up in today's real estate market mess you likely don't need any more real estate advice other then contact your lender earlier rather then later to arrange a solution before the issue grows out of control. The disadvantages of this real estate market are severe and can be avoided if dealt with sooner. This is the best real estate advice, if you are on the disadvantages side of the real estate market, which could be given.