The Seattle PI reports from Washington. "While Seattle experienced some of the slowing affecting housing nationally, it is clear that slow here is not the same slow as in many markets. 'Yes, some consumer confidence issues, some weather issues, some holiday issues are giving us a cold,' said Peter Orser, president of the state's largest builder of single-family homes."

"Orser and others agree a slowing national market, and media coverage of that, has scared buyers away, or at least gave them false expectations about the local market."

"'This is not a buyer's market,' said Glenn Crellin, at Washington State University. 'This is really approaching a balanced market.'"

"Then there are people like Ned Redpath, broker in Hanover, N.H. 'What has been expressed in the media recently has been well written, and has gone an awful long way to help us educate our clients and customers,' he said."

"The New Hampshire market is rebounding after an 18-month slump, thanks to sellers lowering their expectations, buyers making quality offers and interest rates staying low, Redpath said. 'I feel that right now we are at the bottom of this huge trough that we've been in.'"

"So is Seattle just slower to descend into a New Hampshire-like trough? Recent numbers show Seattle buyers have less competition and more selection than a year ago. The number of Seattle homes for sale in October was the highest in two years and declined only slightly in November, according to statistics from the Northwest MLS."

"The year-to-year number of listings increased every month since April, while the number of closed sales decreased in every month since June. 'Yeah, it's a contraction, but it's not a contraction from zero to under water,' Orser said."

"One feature of the changing market is that homes that probably would have sold quickly last year, or earlier this year, are sitting on the market for months. The owners of one Seward Park house finally took it off the market in November, after cutting their asking price from $989,000 to $895,000 to $859,000 over about five months."

"'They're so stressed they can't stand it,' said agent Carole Alexander. 'They were willing to look at offers that were significantly lower than that and still didn't get any.'"

"Alexander said the owners would probably keep the house off the market for at least 90 days, the time needed for it to show up as a new listing in the local listing system, and might use the time for renovations."

"The owner of a Greenwood house pulled it off the market after two and a half months, and a cut in the asking price from $379,000 to $365,000. 'The house didn't sell as quickly as she thought it would so she took it off the market to wait for things to improve,' agent Deborah Arends said. 'She's going to try again after the first of the year.'"

"Crellin said some owners have not priced homes for a softer market or are not willing to wait as long as needed. 'We do have some folks with some unrealistic expectations,' he said."

The Spokane Journal. "Residential and commercial real estate sales are expected to remain strong here in 2007, although below their record-setting paces in 2005 and 2006."

"Spokane-area home sales during the first 11 months of this year were running about 5.4 percent behind the year-earlier period, in terms of number of units sold, but were on pace to make 2006 the metropolitan area’s second best year historically, says Rob Higgins, executive vice president of the Spokane Association of Realtors. That moderate downturn likely will continue, he says."

"'It may still be our third or fourth best year,' he says of the number of home sales predicted for 2007."

"In the condominium market, more units are proposed in the downtown and periphery area than usual, says Scot Auble, president of Auble Jolicoeur & Gentry.. Of 539 units proposed, about 140 are under construction, and 116 are presold."

"'That’s a whole lot,' Auble says. 'Time will tell what the market will absorb.'"