Jonathan Dalton, a real estate agent for Century 21 Arizona Foothills in the Phoenix area, opened a virtual floodgate to an unending real estate bubble debate when he wrote a post at his real estate blog on Nov. 10 titled, “Popping the Bubble.”

Though definitions can differ, a housing bubble is generally considered to be a state in which real estate prices are unsustainably high and out of step with economic underlying fundamentals such as income.

If you enjoy paying capital gain taxes when selling an investment or business property, you probably won’t want to learn how to pyramid your real estate wealth by legally avoiding taxes on profitable sales. However, if you prefer to build realty wealth without paying taxes, as millions of other investors and major corporations do, read on.

Or you might enjoy selling your rental property at a profit, perhaps an apartment or commercial building, and using those funds to acquire your ultimate dream home without paying capital gains tax. Read on.

PROPERTY hotspots may be few and far between in flat markets, but they can still be found, even if some are off the beaten track.

From North Stadbroke Island’s little-known Dunwich to the equally obscure twin West Australian towns of Dongara and Port Denison, near Geraldton, property prices continue to head north, driven either by babyboomers and retirees looking for their seachange, or workers attracted by the resources boom.

In stark contrast to capital-city property markets, where even real estate agents expect a flat year, small pockets of housing across the nation are booming.

Wondering if now is the time to buy your first house or condo?

With a deluge of properties for sale throughout South Florida, prices are flexible, interest rates reasonable, and sellers are offering incentives to seal a deal.

But a home’s price is just the beginning. Taxes and insurance can add as much as 50 percent to your monthly payment, real estate experts warn.

HARVARD STUDY PREDICTS AN ANNUAL RISE OF 3.7% AS MARKET FOR NEW HOMES SLOWS

ORINDA - Bekki Van Voorhis Gilbert loves her new kitchen.

Instead of institutional white cabinetry and being closed off from the rest of the house, the new room is earth-toned and flows into the rest of the house. The living room has been changed from a brass-and-white “Dynasty”-era space to warmly varnished woods, neutral colors and a sea-green limestone plaster fireplace.

“We moved here in 2002 knowing we wanted to remodel,” she said of the 2,500-square-foot house built in 1966. “We almost didn’t get this house, but after we took a measure of the market, I said, `Let’s buy it and remodel.’ ”