The Times Herald Record reports from New York. "During the final three months of the year, the median price of single-family homes sold in Orange County fell to $315,000, down $10,000 from a year ago, according to the Orange County Association of Realtors. The number of homes sold in Orange and Sullivan counties each fell more than 10 percent from a year ago."

"'What you really saw was a softening of the market,' said Ann Garti, CEO of the OCAR, repeating what's become a mantra of sorts among the real-estate set."

"The number of homes sold in Orange County has now declined for two years straight. Before 2005, the last drop in sales was logged way back in 1990."

"Lenny Tarulli and his wife Gladys, moved up from Brooklyn and bought a small cottage in the Mountain Lodge Park area of Blooming Grove. They spent $50,000 turning it into a year-round house. A couple of years ago, when Tarulli's employer moved from Manhattan to the West Coast, Tartulli put the home up for sale. He figured he'd follow his job."

"Two years, three agents and more than 100 showings later, the Tarullis are still here. 'When they see the size of it, and they see what $200,000 will buy them up here, they want more. But that's all they can afford,' said Amanda DiVeglio, who's listing the house. 'They get up here and they see what's here, and it's like a reality check for them.'"

"DiVeglio, who's lowered the price on the home from $225,000 to $205,500 in about five steps, closes with what's become another mantra for the new market. 'I know it'll sell,' she said. 'It's going to take time.'"

The Hartford Courant from Connecticut. "Sales of single-family houses in Connecticut continued to decline in November, with the Hartford area recording the biggest drop in sales, according to a report released Wednesday."

"'There's the possibility that things are going to get worse before they get better,' said Steve Lanza, executive editor of the Connecticut Economy at the University of Connecticut."

"'Without question, total sales of homes and production of new homes are off, and they are off substantially,' said Ron Van Winkle, a West Hartford economist. 'A 15 percent decline in sales is significant. It is a large adjustment.'"

"Hartford County showed the largest decline in sales in November, dropping almost 20 percent. But the median sales price in Hartford County through November was a 2 percent increase from 2005."

"Van Winkle said (the) median sales prices don't reflect the concessions that sellers are giving, including making major repairs to houses, and even offering to pay closing costs, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars."

"'We don't see buyer conditions in these prices,' he said. 'You might still be paying $250,000 for a house, but the seller is doing a number of things which, in effect, lower that price. Prices have gone down more than these prices reflect because of those concessions.'"

The Town Crier from Massachusetts. "Home sales in Sudbury fell in 2006...across the state, home sales were down in 2006 from 2005 levels. The good news is that Warren Group statistics show in Sudbury, the drop in sales wasn’t as pronounced as in other towns."

"Scott Beane, sales manager in Sudbury, said other towns in the area are seeing much greater drops in the number of single family homes sold. He cited MLS numbers that show towns such as Marlboro saw a decrease in sales of more than 55 percent and Stow saw a decrease of more than 33 percent."

"'For people relocating, their motivation to sell is high and they will sell to get on with their life,' (broker) Louis Stephan said, noting that these sellers are more willing to negotiate a price with buyers. For people who are retiring and consider their home as their nest egg, Stephan said this 'may not be the right time to sell and they might be able to defer two years to maximize their profit.'"

"In fact, the median sales price of homes sold in Sudbury in 2006 was down from the previous year. From January through November, the median home sales price in Sudbury was $625,000, according to the Warren Group. This was down from $682,000 during the same period in 2005."

"But agents caution that this dip in home prices shouldn’t spell the end of a great housing market because prices are still much higher than they were a few years ago."

"Unfortunately for sellers, on average, they are waiting a long time to sell their homes and they are facing increased competition. According to Beane, the average house in Sudbury is on the market for 216 days, more than double the amount of time from one year ago. There are also more homes on the market."

"His advice to sellers to help close a deal on their homes is to be realistic about the selling price and pay attention to the condition of their house as it goes on the market. 'People aren’t feeling desperation yet, but they are more willing to invest money to fix up their homes, increasing the curb appeal,' said Beane."