Some reports from the Arizona Republic. "The 1,276-acre parcel of state trust land in Fountain Hills has been re-appraised at $95 million, about 27 percent less than the original appraisal. The Arizona State Land Department was forced to abandon the first appraisal of $130 million this year when the Valley's housing market slowed and developers no longer were interested in the property."

"The hottest topic of conversation in most Tempe neighborhoods is home prices and how they skyrocketed during the hot sales time of 2004-05 and how they seem to be in the doldrums now."

"Real Estate agent Doug Roys says that the fact that Tempe, 'is landlocked, has the biggest university in the United States, has a two-mile lake, is near the airport and has a small-town feel,' makes it one of the most attractive destinations for home buyers in the Valley."

"Did you experience a significant drop in business during the sales slowdown?"

"'Yes, we all did. I saw the market begin to cool last fall, and saw it get real cold last May and June. I know there are market forces at work, but I also think the media contributes to the problem with negative articles predicting a downturn and people believe it because it's in print.'"

In Business Las Vegas. "What's up with the Las Vegas housing market? Steve Bottfeld of Marketing Solutions, argues that Las Vegans can be thankful that the housing market defies the laws of gravity and economics."

"Dennis Smith makes no mention of smiling in his prognosis. Just looking at the number of sales per subdivision paints a picture of what's happening, he said. That number dropped to 0.6 and 0.7 in the first two weeks of November, a level of demand that hasn't been seen for 10 years."

"One of the deterrents is the continuation of the soft resale home market, he said. Without the equity from selling their home, consumers can't buy a bigger and pricier home, he said. 'A strong resale segment is the only way we can reclaim our new-home move-up market segment,' Smith said."

"Resale closings have dropped for three consecutive months and are down 27 percent for the year, Smith said. Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson and North Las Vegas reported 864 new home permits in October, the lowest monthly total since January 1993, said Smith who added he never thought the number would ever go below 1,000 again."

The Review Journal. "Nothing effectively generates a buzz about the launch of a condo-hotel project like a powerful Web site and an experienced, knowledgeable sales and marketing team, a panel of experts said at a two-day IMN Condo Hotel Symposium at The Mirage."

"Even with the folding of projects such as Aqua Blue, Las Ramblas and Hard Rock, Las Vegas is a hotbed among leading condo-hotel markets, said Joel Greene, president of Condo Hotel Center in North Miami."

"'You discover more about what people want and you always keep that vibe that if you don't buy today, the price could increase tomorrow,' said Michael Landau, vice president of marketing and public relations for the Edge Group, which is developing the $1 billion W Las Vegas."

"Another panel at the conference focused on the 'dirty words' that can't be used in sales and marketing in compliance with the Securities Exchange Commission."

"'Legally, we're not allowed to mention the 'R' word (return) on investment. Never ever do we discuss numbers,' David Schwartz of The Management Consortium said. 'Our buyers are sophisticated, college-educated people with lots of disposable income and they like to vacation. We're selling them a vacation experience.'"

"Greene said any buyers who are disappointed with anticipated cash flow from rental of their units may have been misled during the purchase process."

"'The SEC specifies that you cannot sell the investment aspect of the hotel, only the real estate and the lifestyle,' Greene said. 'You can't get into occupancy rates or return on investment. It's basically meant to be sold as a condo. You want an 8 percent return, buy a shopping center with Wal-Mart as your anchor.'"

The Nevada Appeal. "Forty-one Carson City single-family homes sold in October with a median cost of $302,000, down from $310,000 in September, according to the Northern Nevada Regional MLS."

"Carson City's housing boom hit a high in 2005 when the median price of a single-family home jumped 34 percent over a year to $348,500. The market has inched down in the last year. Officials have noted that fewer California buyers are coming into the Nevada market and are instead traveling farther east."

"'It seems middle-range housing has had a modest reduction,' said mortgage broker Sherry Negrete. 'The lower price range properties have dropped significantly.'"

"New construction by Syncon off Curry Street and the Centex townhouses on Roop bring hope to agents. 'There's a lot of new construction going on, which is a sign the market is picking up,' said Realtor Jim Shirk."