I'm afraid my crystal ball is broken. No one can tell you what the market will do.
I do believe the assumption out there is that the RE market is recovered in most areas and improving, with rates either staying steady or slowly climbing. That may indicate rising prices, but I believe every locality is different.
Is there a good blog for your local market that can provide you with some data on recent trends? The Seattle Bubble blog is our local example.
One way to get a deal is to be willing to put in sweat equity, if you are so inclined.
I think it is hard to time a house purchase, particularly in the short timeframe you are talking. You could wait for the next housing "crash" of course, bit that could be years and years away.