Real-estate investing in a down market: Strategies to use, how far home prices will fall, cities where prices are falling the most, which markets to invest in, and more

• Home prices are on the decline after their pandemic-era melt-up.
• That's bad news for current real-estate investors, and probably good news for prospective ones.
• Here's how to navigate today's shifting market.

After their historic pandemic-era melt-up, home prices have begun to fall back toward more realistic levels as high mortgage rates cut into affordability.

Home prices are down 4.1% from June to October according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price NSA Index, which lags by a few months.