The Concord Monitor has this rare report on the housing market in New Hampshire. "Local real estate agents say the state's market has remained flat this spring, a season in which sales generally pick up for the busy warm-weather selling season. Properties are staying on the market longer, some sellers are dropping prices, and buyers have more time and bargaining power, they say."

"'Buyers and sellers are now on an even keel,' said Nancy Morrison, a longtime agent in Concord. 'What we're dealing with now is the shock from the sellers that they no longer control the market.'"

"When Liam Moquin moved to Pittsfield from Manchester a year ago, he was able to sell his home in two days. Now he's moving to Maryland, where he has a new job and new home waiting for him. The only problem is, he hasn't found a buyer yet for his place in Pittsfield, thanks to a cooling real estate market. 'I'm a little concerned,' Moquin said. 'We had an open house last week on Saturday and Sunday, but nobody stopped by. I've already reduced the price.'"

"The boom is most likely over, local real estate agents agree, but it doesn't mean the market is crashing. 'The key is realistic pricing,' said Barbara Ruedig, a Concord real estate agent. 'It's not the bullish seller's market we had a few years ago.'"

"A year ago, it was difficult to find a house in Concord listed below $250,000, said real estate agent Brenda Perkins Anukem. A check of the listings now shows 45 houses for sale under $250,000, she said. In Concord, the average price of a home has decreased 1.1 percent, to $267,196."

"Concord homeowner Lisa Brown has already found the house she wants to move into, but she is hesitant to put her house on the market right now. She is thinking of renting the house for a year instead to see if the market rebounds. The house is a small brick Tudor built in the 1930s. Because the house has some unique architectural features, Brown says she is not willing to drop the price below $299,900."

"Mary Cowan, a real estate agent in Concord, said the market cooling is not something people should be very concerned about. 'For some people who haven't been in real estate that long, this softening is a little scary,' she said. 'Frankly, this is the way it used to be. Yes, sellers are going to have to really look at their pricing but properties are still going under agreement.'"