The Ledger reports from Florida. "Carissa and Jerry Saus are suffering a seller's fate in a buyer's market. Despite a price drop of $15,000, the couple's home is still on the market after four months. But the home isn't much different than its neighbors, said Carissa Saus. 'Maybe that's part of the problem.'"

"Brian Dockery, their Realtor in Lakeland, said lowering the price is becoming a necessity and the wait to sell a home is getting longer. Dockery has nearly given up on open houses and associate lunches, which once served as good marketing tools. 'People just don't come,' he said. 'There are too many out there to compete with.'"

"Only a handful of people came to the last several open houses he hosted, mainly for the free food, he said. And Realtors these days are on a tight budget."

"Polk County's active real estate listings in December outnumbered existing home sales 11 to 1. There were 4,215 listings for homes, condominiums and townhomes throughout the county last month. But in that time, only 362 sold, a 26 percent drop from 488 in December 2005."

"'With so many homes currently listed in Lakeland and in Polk County, sellers need to make their home stand out, and the most effective way of doing so is to reduce the price,' said Realtor Justin Kranitz. 'We're at a stage in the market where buyers can choose to be very picky and choose not to purchase a home because of one minor thing they don't like about the home.'"

"'We had one couple who seemed pretty interested,' Dockery said. 'But one day I called them and they said they changed their mind and not to call anymore. I don't know what changed.'"

"The inventories of builders are undercutting existing home sales and making it difficult for local Realtors and their clients. 'It is really affecting resales in a negative way,' said Judy Cleaves, a Realtor in Winter Haven. 'It is causing the sellers to realize we are competing with new homes.'"

"New homes are being priced in the $150,000 range, a significant drop from asking prices a year ago. And incentives like $3,000 to $5,000 in closing costs plus free upgrades make selling even more difficult."

"'The prices got so far out of hand a year and a half ago,' Cleaves said. 'We're just now getting a correction in resales. They still don't quite believe it,' Cleaves said of the need to lower prices. 'It's a good time to buy,' she said. 'We are ready to negotiate.'"

The News Journal. "Pensacola Realtor Sheree Domine's specialty is working with first-time homebuyers. Since Hurricane Ivan, she has seen the average worker priced out of the Pensacola market."

"Even the recent drop in home-sale prices has not scaled prices back to pre-Ivan days when Domine was the Realtor for a family who purchased a new 1,500-square-foot home in a subdivision off W Street for $125,000."

"'Those same houses are on the market for $170,000 now,' Domine said. 'They could not afford to buy that home now. And to top it off, we've got these insurance problems.'"

"The market woes have hurt Domine's income. She has cut back on spending at restaurants and local stores. 'It's a snowball effect, and I don't see it recovering anytime soon.'"

The Herald Tribune. "In April 2005, Erik and Kathryn Matthews contracted with Construction Compliance Inc. to build a $159,000 single-family home on a lot they own in Port Charlotte. 'It's been a nightmare since day one,' Erik Matthews said."

"Just this week, the Matthewses received four new 'Notice to Homeowner' letters for additional undetermined financial claims. The couple contacted their lender and were told that roughly $87,000 had been drawn down on their credit line by Construction Compliance Inc."

"The trouble for the Matthewses and other customers of Construction Compliance comes against the backdrop of a struggling housing industry. The sizzling pace of sales in 2004-05 has slowed to a trickle, leaving even the biggest players in Southwest Florida offering huge incentives to move their product in the sluggish environment."

"Carol Simmons, a broker who sold many of the North Port homes to be built by Construction Compliance, said...she was not in a 'position to provide any specifics.' Meanwhile, the company's subcontractors are wondering when they are going to get paid."

The Palm Beach Post. "Still debating which New Year's resolution to keep through next week? Developers of two unbuilt West Palm Beach condo projects have their resolutions already lined up: We promise to give buyers back their deposits ... soon."

"During the past month, buyers in the Opera Place and Palladio Terrace high-rises slated for downtown West Palm Beach have been peppered with Dear Buyer letters from their Miami-based developers. The letters promise the return of buyers' deposits now that these luxury condo towers aren't going forward. Blame a lousy condo market and vaporized bank financing."

"Buyers can't wait to get those big checks back. Sadly, details on deposit returns at Palladio Terrace are a little vague. 'The only thing missing is the how and the when, which is everything,' one buyer groused."

"Also missing: The amount of money being returned. Buyers in both projects had to put down 20 percent of the purchase price of their condos to hold their units. For some buyers, this amounted to around $100,000 or more."

"But in both cases, not all 20 percent still remains in escrow. The escrow agents for both projects released 10 percent of the deposits to Opera Place's BAP Development and Palladio Terrace's Merco Group. Understandably, buyers of both projects are antsy about whether they'll get all their money back."

"It looks like Merco still is toying with the idea of building Palladio Terrace. So, anyone interested in taking Merco up on its offer? 'They might find someone else crazy enough to, but it won't be me!' one buyer said."