The Massachusetts realtors report the sales for January. "After more than a year of declines, sales volume of detached single-family homes for the month of January was up over 12 percent compared to the same time last year. This is the first time there has been a double digit increase since January 2005. 'We are encouraged about the way January has started off,' said MAR President Doug Azarian of Falmouth. 'As sellers continue to price their homes correctly, we should begin to see demand pick up.'"

"Median sales prices for detached single-family homes declined only 2.4 percent compared to January 2006. Residential properties did stay on the market an average of 142 days in January 2007 compared to an average of 104 days in January 2006."

The Boston Globe. "The number of single family homes sold in the Bay State last month was 3,304, up 5.1 percent from 3,144 from January 2006, reported the Warren Group. Meanwhile, median prices for single families dropped from $325,000 in January 2006 to $314,000 in January 2007, continuing a trend of declining prices that has been in effect since May, the Warren Group said."

The Boston Herald. "'Things may be stabilizing here, but it’s too early to call a turnaround,' said John Bitner, chief economist at Eastern Bank in Boston. 'Buyers have been holding off because they’ve been concerned that real estate prices have been coming down, though that maybe has exacerbated the weakness in prices.' Prices have been declining since May 2006."

The Telegram. "The condominium market in Worcester County had a rough month, seeing sales drop 22.16 percent, from 176 in January 2006 to 137 last month, The Warren Group said. The median price of a condominium in Worcester County fell 13.32 percent, from $219,200 in January 2006 to $190,000 last month, the data show."

"'I think it’s pricing, that sellers are getting used to the idea that houses are not worth as much as before, and they’re willing to compromise,' said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group."

"Meanwhile, foreclosure filings jumped more than 100 percent in January, as Massachusetts homeowners struggled to hold onto their homes, ForeclosuresMass.com reported. Some 2,207 foreclosure filings were made in January, or about 110 foreclosure filings every business day, the report said. That is an increase of 105 percent from the same period a year earlier, when 1,076 filings were made."

"In 2006, lenders filed 19,487 notices against homeowners, surpassing filings made in 1992, during the depths of a recession. The filings 'are scary,' said Alan Pasnik, an analyst for Warren Group. 'They're essentially double what they were.'"

"The mortgage banking industry has said the primary reason filings are on the rise is an explosion in mortgage volume driven by the housing boom, which pushed home sales to record levels in Massachusetts and nationwide."

"'The flood of foreclosures in Massachusetts is not only continuing; it has reached a new high,' company president Jeremy Shapiro said. 'The fact we are starting the year with the highest number of foreclosures we've ever recorded for a single month is more than significant - it's ominous.'"

"ForeclosuresMass.com continues to attribute the increase to a 'perfect storm' of factors. The pressures put on property owners include rising interest rates over the past few years, an increase in sub-prime and other 'exotic' loans, the affect of adjustable rate mortgages, rising home heating costs, substantially increased gasoline prices, and the slumping Massachusetts housing market, which leaves homeowners trapped in houses they cannot afford."

The Daily News Tribune. "'People are starting to price their houses right from the beginning, or if they’ve been on the market a while, they are starting to make the appropriate reductions,' said Jane Evans, Realtor in Waltham."

"Finding a perfect match between a buyer and a seller is all about positioning—by way of price, but also by what buyers want today."

"In the recent past, a kitchen renovation was high on buyers’ wish lists. And although it’s still nice to have a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, the 'wow' factor has subsided a bit, said Gary Rogers, Realtor in Waltham."

"Also, sellers may want to be careful with putting a lot of money into a big renovation because it may not mimic the taste of a potential buyer, said Steve Stratford, Realtor in Lexington. 'Make what you have as presentable as possible,' Stratford said."

"People don’t mind putting in new kitchen cabinets now that the housing prices are more palatable, Evans said."

"In addition to following the buyer trends in the real estate market, some sellers in the recent past have tried to use gimmicks to sweeten their deals, such as offering a flat-screen TV or plane tickets to a tropical destination with the purchase of the property. 'You’re better off offering cash or home warranties to get buyers' attentions,' Evans said."

"'Gimmicks don’t work,' Rogers said. 'What does work is properly pricing your house, staging it and making it accessible for showings when the buyers want to see it.'"