What do you see in your housing market this weekend? A letter to the editor? "In her recent front-page article 'A popular place for house seekers' (Feb. 1 Advocate), Jennifer Mann really missed the mark relative to reporting on recent trends in the housing market."

"Of the 32 homes that priced between $400,000-$500,000, just 25 percent sold at or above their asking price while 75 percent sold for an average $16,000 below their asking price. Of the nine homes, priced between $500,000-$600,000, only one sold at or above its asking price with the remaining homes selling for an average $15,000 less. Of the eight homes, priced between $600,000-$700,000, only one sold at or above its asking price with the remaining homes selling for an average $24,000 less."

"This rough analysis took me all of 30 minutes. The Advocate staff might take a similar approach the next time they make a contention about the housing market that begs to be supported by current data rather than outdated sales figures and anecdotal comments from real estate agents."

A new pricing strategy? "Frank Lanham, a real estate agent (in) Fells Point, said he had expected the market to pick up even more last month. 'I see the market is still sluggish. I've seen some agents that have not had settlements for four months now,' Lanham said."

"In the past six months or so, Lanham said, agents have started to use the term 'drama priced,' signaling price cuts of at least $30,000, and have even splashed that term on for-sale signs. Incentives also are still common, Lanham said."

Signs of oversupply? "The growing condo glut in New Orleans has experts predicting prices will fall and developers will have to target a less-affluent market. 'There are a lot of units on the market. You’re going to see asking prices start to come down more,' said Shaun Talbot, vice president of Talbot Realty Group."

"Half-empty streets and rows of for-sale signs are common at some of the multi-million-dollar estates in outer Sydney as developers turn to lavish gifts and no-deposit finance to attract buyers. 'I'm not surprised that some estates are struggling,' said Simon Tennent, executive director of housing and economics for the Housing Industry Association. 'These are great quality homes on excellent estates, but do the simple maths and you can't afford them.'"

Or falling prices? "According to real estate sector experts, high prices in some localities, along with strict bank credit norms and investors' penchant for buying properties in cities like Pune, Naik and Thane has led to declining demand for mid-segment flats by as much as 25 per cent to 30 per cent in the last two to three months."

"'Prices are stagnated and affordability of prospective buyers is coming down. Moreover, even if they have money, people are not buying properties thinking that the prices will come down,' says Sanjay Chaturvedi, executive editor (of) an industry magazine."