The Patriot Ledger reports they are still talking about a shortage in Massachusetts. "Where have all the buyers gone? A single-family home on the market now takes an average of 121 days to sell, compared with 96 days a year ago. Condo sales are almost as sluggish. Those trends have led to a record number of housing units on the market in Massachusetts for a second month in a row."

"'This trend is going to continue to a flattening-out of appreciation to the 3, 4, 5 percent range,' said David Wluka, the president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. Wluka said more than two-thirds of the homes on the market are priced above what someone with a median income in the Bay State can comfortably afford."

"'The mismatch (between incomes and home prices) continues and it’s another concept that’s hard to get across to people,' he said. 'Here we have double the inventory we had last year and we still have a housing shortage.'"

"Richard Cahill, president of (a) Norwell-based real estate agency said he believes the market may actually be reaching its bottom. 'People try to figure out where is the end and where is the beginning' of a trend, he said. 'The next thing people will be saying is, 'Heck, I wish I bought when it was there.'"

The Needham Times has this report. "Needham’s median price fell from last year by $59,000 to $582,000. Many local real estate agennts consider the fall in prices an adjustment to the double-digit increases seen over the past few years."

"'Prices moderated slightly since late winter or early spring,' said (agent) Rich Gatto. 'It feels as if sellers are getting more realistic.'"

"Gatto said clients were trying to fetch prices as high as their neighbors received a year or two ago. But the properties were remaining on the market month after month. Eventually, sellers were convinced to lower their list prices."

"A couple of years ago, an 'all-time' high for numbers of properties listed was 116, according to (broker) Louise Condon. As of last Sunday, 231 single-family homes were for sale in Needham. 'The stock just doubled,' Condon said. 'People had their choice.'"

"Despite the price adjustments and plethora of options for buyers, though, (consultant) Harriet Lieb said properties just sit, unsold. 'There are some really good buys out there, but they are just not going,' Lieb said. 'There should be a run on these houses, but there isn’t.'"