The Arizona Daily Star has this opinion piece on the recent housing market. "'In all things, there is a law of cycles.' The wise words of the Roman historian Tacitus from 1,900 years ago apply to this week's news that more Tucson-area homes were on the market last month than at any point in the past nine years. This is a positive sign that the market is shifting from fast and furious to more realistic. It's cyclical and a much-needed adjustment to avoid overpricing of property."

"The Star reported that the Tucson Association of Realtors MLS listed 6,499 homes for sale last month, up 87.3 percent over January 2005. The January report also showed an increase of more than 1,000 houses listed over December."

"In the last year or so, it was not uncommon to hear stories of houses being on the market for 20 minutes before several contracts, all trying to outbid one another, were on the table. That's yesterday's news."

"More listings equate to more choices for buyers, said (realtor) Sherie Broekema, who's been selling real estate for 30 years. Sellers who inflate the initial sale price of their home, say 10 percent to 15 percent more than the comparable sales in their area, and expect to be overwhelmed with offers, will be disappointed. The shift is a good thing for home buyers, Paul Olson said."

"'Remember, in January 2005, we were in the midst of a buying frenzy.,' Olson said. The buying frenzy was partly fueled by a shortage of homes, Broekema said. Homes in a number of subdivisions developed in the last eight to nine years are appearing on the resale market. There still may be shortages in some areas and price ranges."

"In addition, California investors purchased as many homes as they could, especially from new construction, she said. Tucson home prices have increased, the profit margin for rentals has dropped and many Golden State investors are buying in other states with lower housing prices."

"We're not saying that sellers shouldn't make money, but a prosperous local economy depends on a buyers and sellers working together to place real value on property and remove unnecessary risk from the home buying experience."