Is now a good time to buy a home? Obviously that depends on where you live, but there's so much conflicting information out there. Straight-up predictions of home price fluctuations have their limitations, but looking at rental-related statistics like vacancies and the growth rate in rental prices can tell you a lot about the health of a market. Real estate services company and investment firm Grubb & Ellis Co. released its predictions for the 2009 real estate market. On the housing side, the company anticipates that an increasing supply of unsold condos and homes being made available for rent may cause an increase in vacancy rates.

Here's the company's list of the ten best rental markets for 2009-13:

• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Orange County, Calif.
• Oakland/East Bay, Calif.
• Washington, D.C.
• San Diego
• New York City
• San Jose, Calif.
• Long Island, N.Y.
• Portland, Ore.

It's good to be skeptical of predictions, but some of the names on the list are quite interesting. High foreclosure rates in Los Angeles and other cities have sent property values plunging, and that might provide good opportunities for long-term investors.