The Naples News reports from Florida. "Mary Mack, like many residents in Spring Creek Village, returned home after Hurricane Wilma to mangled metal and broken windows. Though most of the damage has been repaired, empty plots and rows of For Sale signs reveal the long-term impact of the storm. Many snowbirds haven't flocked south yet, and permanent residents speculate some might never return."

"Joanne Staupe would like to move farther north, but she pulled her For Sale sign in September after her home in Imperial Harbor sat untouched for five months. Dozens of homes have sprouted Realtor signs, often a reflection of who was hit twice and doesn't want to try for a third."

"'My insurance went up, but they did renew me, which surprised me,' said Staupe. 'I can't afford to stay, I can't afford to move.'"

"A neighbor who lives behind Staupe, Steve Sallee, said he's also looking to move but the frozen market has done him few favors. There are six For Sale signs before the first stop on Imperial Harbor Boulevard; 12 by the end of the half-mile road. Few homes are moving."

"Sallee said his insurance tripled in the past three years, hiking to $1,200, a payment too pricey to afford. 'We can't do it,' said Sallee. 'They want the poor man out? Well, this one is leaving.'"

The Times Picayune from Louisiana. "Judy D'Alfonso thought her Slidell area home would sell within 30 days when she put it on the market. That was about three months ago. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house was not among the approximately 10,000 Slidell homes that flooded during Hurricane Katrina last year."

"D'Alfonso listed the house for $235,000 in mid-July, when it was widely considered a seller's market. But after several disappointing weeks, she lowered the asking price to $229,000."

"Before the school year started, D'Alfonso got several calls a week. As they slowed to a trickle, she began to make more improvements, painting and installing new flooring. 'We had a lot of activity at first, a lot more than we have now,' she said. 'Now it's just dead.'"

"D'Alfonso's experience isn't unusual in St. Tammany Parish. The market thrived amid fierce demand in the wake of Katrina, which pushed up prices and fueled strong competition among buyers. But that intensity has been fading."

"Recent statistics indicate the market is shifting as supply begins to outstrip demand. The number of homes for sale in the parish is climbing monthly, and they are taking longer to sell. 'The perception here with agents is the market has slowed down,' said Sandy Sandusky, a Realtor in Mandeville. But that perception, he said, is partly the result of a letdown from the post-Katrina frenzy."

"'Our office, for a month after the storm, sounded like the New York Stock Exchange,' he said. 'It was a madhouse. Supply is probably higher than demand right now than at any time we have seen in the past 14 months,' he said. 'We are trending toward a buyer's market.'"

"Katrina's impact was more devastating on the eastern side of St. Tammany, especially in Slidell. Storm damage depleted the available housing stock, driving up demand for homes in usable condition. As a result, many houses sold for more than their appraised value, said (broker) Helene Nunez in Slidell."

"'We had nothing then,' she said of the city's post-Katrina housing stock. But over the past year, supply gradually outstripped demand. 'Now you've got to really have that house in pristine, walk-in condition,' Nunez said. 'Buyers have options galore. We have tons of active listings in Slidell alone. The prices have come down to a more realistic level now.' Buyers can pick and choose, she added, and 'they are really bargain-shopping now.'"

"Nunez and other brokers say many storm-damaged homes have been repaired or renovated by homeowners as well as investors, increasing supply."

"'Basically, we're building inventory,' said Ken Levy, Latter and Blum's Slidell branch manager. Levy cited the rising cost of homeowners insurance as another factor contributing to increasing buyer 'resistance.'"

"According to the parish, 1,662 single-family residential building permits have been issued this year through September. Nearly 4,000 approved residential lots are in the pipeline, according to Marty Mayer, president of Stirling Properties. 'We're beginning to see a wave of new construction,' he said. 'You will start seeing the effect of new construction that began post-Katrina in the fourth quarter and in 2007.'"

"The number of houses for sale in St. Tammany has risen steadily this year since a brief surge in February. According to Prudential, it rose from 949 in March to 1,678 in August."

"Ann Earhart was convinced her 2,800-square-foot, two-story home near Covington would sell within three months. She moved out after listing it for $499,000 in December. She has since lowered the price to $439,000. 'It doesn't seem to be appealing to people,' she said."

"Brokers and agents say the market's broader trend is toward a balance disrupted by Katrina, though recent figures show a slowdown. 'It's emphasized more because we've been on such a wild ride,' said (realtor) Rick Roberts in Mandeville. 'If anything, it's going to plateau.'"

"'We've kind of returned to a normal market,' said Margi Inman, of Coldwell Banker in Mandeville. 'The gold rush is over,' said Jeff Breland, president of Century 21 Investment Realty in Slidell."