Happy New Year! Time to get all that holiday stuff back in the boxes. The market continues to shrink in the number of single family detached homes in 20171 - we are now sitting at 58 homes - significantly lower than last week and just low period. The shrinkage is due to sellers taking their homes off the market -not actually selling. Most of the homes under $500,000 on the market are either short sales or foreclosures - so there is a definite opportunity to sell your home in this price range - if your home is in tip top shape. Prices do seem to be dropping but I would think since this is the New Year that they will now firm up for the Spring season - which does not mean increase but the prices may hold steady. Two homes sold last week - one was to a buyer that I was working with from Maryland and the other was a new listing that sold in 5 days in the 700,000 price range with a new $100,000 kitchen per the MLS. There were 3 new listings that came on the market - one is a short sale that I sold as a listing in 2005 for $575,000 and it is now on the market for $390,000. An amazing price difference. Here is to 2009 and hopefully a strengthening of our economy and the stableness of real estate prices.