The Boston Globe reports on the changes in that housing market. "According to data from New England's largest real estate listing service, the number of single-family homes up for sale in the Plymouth-South Shore region recently was roughly double what was available at this time last year. Yet this week the Massachusetts Association of Realtors announced that sales of detached single-family homes fell 8.1 percent in the fourth quarter. It was the largest annual quarterly decline in home sales in nearly three years."

"That's quite a sea change for buyers, who now have a wider selection of houses from which to choose and more bargaining power. For sellers, it's time for patience and possible loss because houses may sit on the market much longer than they had hoped."

"A total of 2,131 single-family homes were listed for sale in the Plymouth-South Shore region, which includes 18 towns, on Jan. 31; up 49 percent from 1,429 properties at the same time last year. Real estate specialists say the relative glut of homes for sale this year indicates a balancing of the market."

"Debra Kirby and her husband, Alan Fujii, have two houses. One is a in Hingham Center; the other is a Victorian with breathtaking ocean views in Hull. But they still carry the mortgage for the house in Hull because, even though the Victorian is the kind of property that can easily seduce, Kirby and Fujii are having a tough time unloading it."

"Kirby and Fujii bought their new home for $595,000, $105,000 less than the asking price, a discount that would have been unheard of a year ago. At the same time, Kirby said she is surprised it has taken this long to sell the Victorian in Hull, which the couple put on the market in July. 'I thought it would take two or three months, based on what the market had been like.'"

"Kirby pulled out a booklet with photos of the Victorian. On one page, the asking price of $997,000 had been scratched out and $967,000 written beneath it. The house initially was listed for $1.75 million. Now, the couple will take $949,000, lopping almost 46 percent off the original price. What a difference a few months make."

"'Sellers can't expect a huge increase over the last sale on the street,' George Cooper, regional vice president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors said, 'and buyers can expect prices are not going to jump dramatically.'"

"That's stressful news for Kirby and Fujii, who are paying two mortgages and maintaining two houses. Kirby is trying not to let the situation get to her. 'I can't conjure up a buyer,' she said. 'You have to have confidence in your realtor, and that they know how to deal with the market, whatever it may be.'"