I know where you can buy a really great house here in Pittsburgh. It's on Bigbee Street, listed through Prudential. It has to have the most beautiful view in town! Bigbee Street is up on Mount Washinton, you can see most of Allegheny County from there. I've watched a nice old red tail hawk riding air currents out the window. Oh! The windows are huge, so you can really enjoy the view. The shower is humongous. There's a garage. (That's important in Pittsburgh.) Mount Washington is a nice, safe, neighborhood. And the owner is desperate to sell, since he wants to move back to Texas. (Don't ask!) Oh, and if you're into Feng Shui, it's apparently all fenged and shuied, however you do that. Also the owner is a really nice guy.
Otherwise, you are correct, real estate stinks. When I tried to sell my apartment, the real estate lady, who I thought was a friend of mine, priced it extra low, so it would sell extra fast, and bring her a speedy comission. Then she gave me a guided tour of an assortment of white elephants. She figured I was too dumb to know she was trying to cheat me. I didn't know much about the real estate business, but I knew enough to ask freinds who did. Keep on venting.