The Daily Times reports from Maryland. "Rows of new houses sit for sale in neat, upscale new subdivisions like Decatur Farms and Glenn Riddle, but a glut of new projects like them and a slowing real estate market in Worcester County has left them feeling a little lonely."

"In February 2005, there were 396 houses listed with Realtors in Worcester County, but in August 2006 there were 765, a 93 percent increase. Condos on the market have grown at an equal rate with 1,870 being on the market in the county in February 2005 and 3,541 in August 2006, an 89 percent increase."

"'We're a little saturated right now, but I think we'll catch up,' said new Coastal Association of Realtors President Kevin White. White said he felt inventory was up because of the combination of so many new projects, such as Decatur Farms and Glenn Riddle, but said the inventory wasn't 'completely out of whack.'"

"The problem is that saturation of the market with new homes isn't about to stop. Glenn Riddle has only built about 100 of 600 planned homes. Summer-field developer Mark Odachow-ski plans to build its first 300 homes in Snow Hill in the next 15 to 21 months while the entire development is planned to be 2,000 homes."

"If the downswing goes beyond the next year, an ADC Builder's Inc.-proposed 1,000-home development in Showell, developer Troy Purnell's proposed 150-home development in Berlin and a Highland Development Corp.-proposed 127-home division near Pocomoke City could all see slow returns on their substantial investments."

"'I would not want to be sitting on a big project right now,' Realtor and County Commissioner Bud Church said. 'One of the things we're seeing with major projects and developments is a lot are dropping their prices $100,000, $150,000, even $200,000 (per house).'"

"And the slowdown is going to start affecting jobs, experts predict. Part-time real estate agents will drop out of the industry because of the difficulty to sell and construction workers will have less work as builders trim back the size of planned projects."

"'There are currently 1,300 members of the (Coastal) Association (of Realtors),' said Church. 'A few years ago that was 700 and it doubled because of the market. But we're going to see a thinning out of agents.'"

"In Worcester County, the average listing price of homes in August 2006 was about $361,000, while the selling price was much less at $341,000. The average condo was listed at $457,000 and sold at $431,000; a drastic change from the boom when Church said units were literally going for above the listing price."

"'What happened nationally and in our market, prices have gone up so dramatically that people got sticker shock,' Church said. '(The market) is like a skydiver jumping out of a plane and falling, and you're waiting to see when they're going to open the chute. I don't think we're going to hit the ground, but I don't think we're going to see the market change into next spring or summer.'"

The Evening Sun from Pennsylvania. "Karen Berube stood at the kitchen counter, looking through a pile of papers. 'I'm just looking at the mortgage,' she said, sighing. 'And that depresses me.' Her husband, Louis, explained, 'We just had another house built, so now we have two mortgages.'"

"The Berubes put a 'For Sale' sign up in front of their current house and tried to sell it themselves this June, in time for the traditional peak of the real-estate season. They are asking $319,000. The couple never had any problems selling on their own before. Other houses they had lived in and sold went in a couple of days."

"But the 'For Sale' sign stood in front of the Littlestown house for a month and no one called."

"A real-estate agent, who has been advertising the house, showing it and holding open houses since July. Only two people came to the open house last Sunday, and neither made an offer. The Berubes are supposed to settle on their new house next week."

"'It's just a bad time right now – that's what they keep tellin' us. It's a buyer's market, not a seller's,' Karen Berube said."

"Home values across southcentral Pennsylvania, like those across the country, have soared in recent years. The median value of homes sold in Franklin County has climbed 65 percent in the past four years. In seven years it has doubled, from $92,325 in August 1999 to $185,000 in August 2006."

"But with interest rates going up and higher gasoline prices, a lot of buyers these days are waiting in the wings, watching for prices to drop. 'Prices are still a little high for the way things are going,' said Joe Tondo, who is shopping for a home near Chambersburg."

"Already, there are plenty of houses on the market. More than 1,000 homes were listed for sale last month in Franklin County alone, nearly twice the number available a year ago."

"The buyer's market has also been fueled by the number of new houses being built, adding 25 to 30 percent to the number of homes traditionally available, according to broker Bob Hickey. 'National builders from the south have been moving in during the past three years,' Hickey said. 'They probably built too many at once.'"

"One market force that appears to have slowed is the rush of Maryland buyers who, in the past, have helped drive the area's residential real estate sales. Real estate agent Dominic Arcuri said higher gas prices have caused some potential buyers from Maryland to rethink their moves."

"'I don't think it (the switch to a seller's market) will happen until winter,' said Margaret Byrd, broker in Hanover. 'And it's going to be a long winter.'"