The Boston Herald reports on a housing forecast. "Home prices in Massachusetts could fall another 3 percent this year as the market adjusts to a slow-growing state economy, according to the New England Economic Partnership conference."

"But an easing in home prices could make Massachusetts a slightly more affordable state, helping companies to keep and attract workers who otherwise might not be able to afford housing in Massachusetts, according to (economist) Alan Clayton-Matthews. 'It will help correct the high cost-of-living problem we have, at least to a certain extent,' Clayton-Mattews said."

"The peak median home-sale price for the area was $375,000, set last July. The median price has since fallen to about $344,000 through March, off 8.3 percent since July."

And one brokerage firm is doing its part. "The Bay State’s biggest real estate agency has one message for its brokers: sell, sell, sell. Coldwell Banker, which controls a network of 3,800 agents across the state, wants brokers to lower prices to match current demand in an aggressive push to spark languid home sales."

"Coldwell has begun routinely meeting with sellers whose homes haven’t sold after a month or so, said Mark Lippolt, a top executive. Among the items on the agenda: price reductions. Given the company’s size, the push could help reduce a huge backlog of unsold homes, though some executives also fret it could develop into a sell-at-any-price mentality."

"Among Coldwell’s new tactics: urging brokers to take a more realistic stance on prices with home sellers, asking them to only use comparable sales from the last three months. Meanwhile, the real estate giant is now rejecting listings from some would-be home sellers if their price expectations are too high for an emerging 'buyers' market, said Lippolt."

"The moves come as Coldwell’s publicly traded parent company, NRT, reports a 13 percent slide in first quarter sales in New England, California, Florida andother previous hot spots."

"But some executives, while largely welcoming Coldwell Banker’s new approach, say the emphasis on more realistic pricing holds both promise and peril for a market in transition."

"'I think it helps loosen the roadblock of unsold properties if it is done in a responsible manner,' said Sue Hawkes, who helps market high-end residential real estate projects. 'If it’s done in a wholesale crash and burn (manner), I don’t think it benefits anyone.'"